Ch 4 Hygelac

"Calm down," Astrid said to herself even as knots were constantly tying and untying in her stomach. "You just going to talk to a man," reassuring herself as she held her book tighter. "A man that has been your hero since you were little girl." She stopped, took a deep a breath, and looked at her book. Is was very special to her, many a night had her father read her the tales contained in its pages.

Her hand ran across the crest on the cover lovingly, a smile gracing her lips. On the cover of this tome was a wolf and a dragon grappling with each other, their battle contained with in a small circle.

She was so wrapped in her thoughts, that she barely registered the sound of something heavy hitting the ground, followed by the clatter of something metal. She would have just passed it off, if the same thing did not happen a moment later. She moved toward the sounds, turned a corner and saw them.

She beheld the sight of Beowulf's lieutenant, Unferth, standing over the limped forms of Bucket and Mulch, a lantern in his hand and nearby brazier helping to illuminate the scene. She was about to ask him what happened, when she heard him say, "Out like a candle," to whom she thought was himself.

Then a second figure approached, "Make sure they are unharmed," said the figure that she recognized as Wiglaf. "We don't need any unnecessary bloodshed." Unferth bent down and checked the two men, "They sleep soundly," he said. "Vainamoinen said that they shall have only but sore heads in the morning." He stood and smiled, "Such is what happens to those who drink too much."

He then bent down and picked up something from the ground, unfortunately since his back was to her, she couldn't see what it was. He let his arm drop to his side and she saw a wineskin in his hand. "Let us hope that is what their chieftain believes the next time he sees them," Wiglaf said as Unferth began to pour the contents over the cliff's edge. "Go ahead and signal Song Wu to come in to port." Unferth went over to brazier, just before dropping the wineskin near Bucket and Mulch, and picked up a torch. He went back to the cliff's edge overlooking the harbor and raised the torch above his head. He waved it back and fourth three times before placing it back in the brazier.

From her vantage point, Astrid could see a light shinning in the distance, it blinked three times in answer, then went out. "He's coming in," Unferth said, turning to Wiglaf. "Very good," Wiglaf said. "Would you like to accompany me or do you wish to return to my father?" "I don't think he would like the idea of you going down their alone," Unferth answered. "I'll hardly be alone," Wiglaf said, crossing his arms. "Regardless," Unferth said. "Your father will want to know of Hygelac's well-being." "Very well," Wiglaf said, shrugging.

He walked towards the cliff's edge but stopped before going down to the docks. He turned back towards the village...just as Astrid ducked back behind a house. "Something wrong?" Unferth asked. Wiglaf didn't answer at first, instead he continued to scan the area. "Just a feeling," he said. He turned back to Unferth, "Let's get to Hygelac before someone sees us." Unferth nodded as Wiglaf then headed for the landing above the docks, with Unferth in tow.

Astrid waited until they passed from sight before coming out of her hiding spot. She moved as quickly and as quietly as she could to the brazier to check on the two sleeping vikings. Unferth was correct, they were sleeping soundly and had the distinct smell of alcohol on their breaths. 'There's no way that Stoick would believe any story they told,' Astrid thought. 'So he will have to believe me.'

::

Hiccup would have been able to see the last glimpses of blond hair disappearing into the darkness above the docks had he left the hall a little earlier. But even if he had, he probably wouldn't have noticed, to many thoughts running through his head. The events of the day had not left him much time to process his feelings and even now that he was alone (aside from Toothless) and finally able to sort them out, he still didn't know anything for sure. Ever since he was a child, Beowulf had been his hero, the one that had inspired him to go out there hunt dragons. 'And trolls,' he reminded himself.

But now that he had actually met him, he didn't know what to make of him. He seems like a good person but with a force the size that he commands, what is he doing here? His army is too large for any exploration purpose, so they must have a destination in mind but where is that? Is he on conquest? Is Berk his next target? So many questions and not enough answers. Perhaps when the captains of the army are assembled, they'll get some answers.

Suddenly he was snapped out of his thoughts by Toothless surging forward, nearly knocking him over. "Toothless," Hiccup called after him. Toothless turned to look at him, an excited look in his eyes and that's when Hiccup realized that the sun had set. "Oh no," he groaned, ran a hand through his hair, and turned to Toothless. "I forgot buddy." With the day's events, Hiccup had forgotten to take Toothless on their usual flight around the island before sunset. He then turned to look at his house, his father probably waiting for him.

He turned back to Toothless, "I'll see what dad wants," he said, before placing a comforting hand on the dragon's head. "Then we'll go for a flight, okay?" Toothless hummed in acknowledgment. Hiccup then stood up and made his way to his house.

When he opened the front door, he saw his father rummaging through a chest. He then pulled out something long and bulky wrapped in a brown sheet; he placed one of his large hands on top of the bundle and smiled. "Dad?" Hiccup asked. Stoick jerked his head towards the door, a little startled. "Hiccup," he said. "I didn't hear you come in." Hiccup smiled, 'Sneaking up on Stoick the Vast,' he thought. 'Now that is a feat worthy of a tale or two.' "I... I have something for you," Stoick said in a soft voice.

He then held out the bundle to Hiccup, which he took. He unwrapped the sheet and beheld a small sword with a mail-shirt wrapped around the blade. "My father gave those to me when I was just about your age," Stoick said. "Now I want you to have them." Hiccup drew the sword from it's scabbard, the blade dark in the low-lit room. "Its called Endeavor," Stoick said. "Its been in our family for generations." The sword was just the right size for him, neither too long or too heavy.

Hiccup sheathed the sword, then took the mail-shirt and let it unfold to its full length. "That was the first armor I ever wore," he continued. "It served me well." Stoick took the shirt from Hiccup, "Let's see how it fits," he said. "Knowing how big you were at this age, Dad" Hiccup said as he placed the sword on a nearby chair, then removed his fur vest. "I'll probably go all the way through the collar."

Stoick rolled his eyes at his son's joke and held the shirt above Hiccup. He extended his arms upward and Stoick brought the mail-shirt down gently onto Hiccup's shoulders. At that moment, they were both reminded of when Hiccup was but a child and all the mornings his father had helped him dress for the day. Both smiled at the memory as Stoick pulled the shirt down until the ends just barley touched Hiccup's knees; he then took a step back to see how his old armor fit his son.

"It fits..." Hiccup said, astonished. It was a little loose but for the most part it fit him perfectly, even the sleeves. "I had Gobber refit it a few years back," Stoick said. "I was uncertain if it would fit at this age but it seems Gobber was able to estimate your growth almost perfectly."

"That's lucky, I guess..." Hiccup said somberly. Just then he felt Toothless tug on the armor from behind. "Alright, alright," Hiccup said as Toothless let go. "We'll go flying now." "Make it a quick one," Stoick said. "You have a big day tomorrow." 'That's for sure,' Hiccup thought sarcastically. 'Being train by your hero's son. What could be better?' Hiccup and Toothless then went back into the night and took their usual flight. They were long gone by the time either Stoick or Hiccup realized that he had forgotten to remove the armor.

::

Astrid ducked behind a stack of crates just as one of the square-shaped vessels pulled up alongside the dock that Wiglaf and Unferth were standing on. A mooring line was tossed to the two on the dock and was quickly tied off by Wiglaf. Then a gangplank dropped onto the pier and the two men from Geatland boarded the vessel. "How fair you, Wu?" Unferth asked with a wave. "I can smell the mead on your breath from here, Unferth," Song Wu said from the helm. "A warrior must only celebrate when it is truly the time to."

Song Wu was a man of average stature with almond-shape eyes and a matching brown color. He had a mustache at the corners of his mouth, a goatee just under his lower lip, and wore his hair in a braided ponytail called a queue. He, along with his men, wore armor made from rectangular-shaped iron plates laced into horizontal rows called lamellar.

"Save your philosophies for someone who needs them," Unferth said, insulted. "Wasn't it just this morning that my father told you not to take everything to heart?" Wiglaf asked. Unferth massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed, "I can handle the both you separately," he said. "But not at the same time." "How is the cargo?" he asked Wu. "Unspoiled," said Song Lei, Song Wu's 'son'. "Are you certain?" Unferth asked. "See for yourself," Wu said.

Two soldiers then pulled the grates above the cargo hold apart, Unferth and Wiglaf then peered into the hold and were pleased by what they saw. "He seems well enough," Lei said. "Looks can be deceiving," Wiglaf said as he dropped down into the hold. He stayed out of Astrid's sight for a few moments before climbing back up.

"Tell my father that he sleeps soundly and that I will stay with him for a time." Unferth nodded and bowed, "Come Wu," he said. "I believe it is time for the warriors to truly celebrate." With that, Unferth, Wu, Lei, and the rest of the crew departed from the ship, leaving Wiglaf 'alone'.

Astrid had to duck back into the shadows as Unferth and the other soldiers passed by her. If she moved an inch, she would be seen. Lucky for her, they passed without seeing her but she stayed were she was until they passed from sight. She turned back to the ship and saw Wiglaf, kneeling down and peering into the hold.

"You want to stretch your legs?" he asked, resting his arms on his knee. He received no answer that she could hear.

"Your not just going to stay down in the dark, are you?" Again no answer.

But she did hear something from this time. But not from the hold of the ship but from above...

She looked up just in time to see a certain Night Furry fly overhead and continued Northward, as did Wiglaf. All of a sudden she heard a low growl emanating from the hold of the ship. "Hygelac?" Wiglaf asked, backing away from the hold. Suddenly a large, dark shape launched up into the air, hovered for a moment above the docks and shot off into night. Astrid stood up from her hiding place, mouth agape.

That's the second incredible surprise she's received this day; first the greatest hero of legend comes to their shores, now this. "Oh no," she heard Wiglaf breathe. He then turned to back to the village and that's when he saw her.

"You," he called to Astrid, who barely registered that he was speaking to her. "You have a dragon, don't you?"

"I-I..." for the first time in long time, Astrid was unsure of to do. "Do you?" he asked again, grabbing her shoulders rather forcibly. "Y-yes," Astrid said finally.

"Can it catch up to a Dark Seeker?" he asked. "Yes," she said. "Lead me to it," Wiglaf demanded.

"What?" Astrid asked.

"If we don't get to Hiccup before Hygelac does," Wiglaf said. "He'll kill him."

::

The air around them began to chill, causing Hiccup to shiver. "Why did I have to leave my vest at home?" he asked out loud, noting that the mail did little to keep him warm. "This may be a shorter flight then even Dad wants," Hiccup said. Toothless turned to him with a worried hum and a pleading look in his eye. "Don't worry, buddy," Hiccup said with a smile, patting Toothless' side. "I'm only joking" After he said this, Hiccup gave another shiver.

He looked down at the vast blackness ocean beneath him, hoping to spot any Tidal Class dragons, maybe a Scauldron or maybe a school of Thunder Drums. Hiccup was so preoccupied with what was below him, he didn't perceive what was above him. Fortunately, Toothless was paying attention and banked just in time to avoid a bolt of purple fire from above.

"Whoa Toothless," Hiccup asked, surprised by the sudden motion. Then he heard a high pitched noise that told Hiccup exactly what was after them. "Move, Toothless," he said as the dragon went into a dive. They leveled out just before touching the water and sped forward across the surface. Hiccup turned to get a view of what was chasing them. When he did, feelings of awe, fear, and disbelief filled him and he urged Toothless to go as fast as he can. For what was chasing them was a very large, very angry Night Furry.

"Go, Toothless, go," Hiccup urged. He hadn't pushed Toothless like this in a long time, not since their fight with the Red Death. But as with both these instances, their very lives were at stake. He had looked into his eyes and he had seen the murderous intent raging within them.

'Wait a minute," Hiccup thought. 'His eyes.' Hiccup risked another glance at their purser and to his horror found the dragon even closer. His suspicions, however, had been proven correct: the Night Fury's eyes were indeed blue. No time to dwell on that at the moment, for now they had to try and lose this dragon before it gets one of them (or both of them) killed.

"Okay, Toothless," Hiccup said. "We need to disappear." Toothless hummed in response and gained some height. They headed towards the woods, hoping to lose their purser in the thicker woods of Berk. And knowing the terrain of the island gave them the advantage... at least that is what Hiccup hoped.

::

"Why would a Night Fury go after another one?" Astrid asked atop Stormfly, which Wiglaf had referred to as an Arrow-tail. She and Wiglaf had taken to the skies in search of the Night Furies. Even though the idea had been Wiglaf's, he was still reluctant to be on Stormfly's back. "I think when Hiccup flew over the docks," Wiglaf said, from behind Astrid.

"Hygelac pick up their scent. He might have gone after them because he smelled Hiccup on Toothless." The names sounded foreign on Wiglaf's tongue. "So?" Astrid questioned. "So think about it," Wiglaf said. "Why would a man's scent be on a dragon's?" Astrid's eyes widened as she understood what Wiglaf meant. "He thinks Hiccup is Toothless' meal," she said. "That's what I believe," Wiglaf said. "So your dragon has some code of honor?" Astrid asked.

"Not necessarily," Wiglaf answered, ignoring that Astrid referred to Hygelac as 'his' dragon. "My guess is that earlier in his life," Wiglaf said. "Hygelac had enemies that ate the flesh of men." "...And he thinks that Toothless is one of those dragons," Astrid concluded. "Right," Wiglaf nodded. "Are you so certain that they will come to harm?" Astrid asked.

"Hiccup's dragon-bending skills won't save him here," Wiglaf said. "Hygelac has always been aggressive, especially with his enemies." Astrid's suspicions began to peak. "Who exactly is Hygelac," she asked. "I suppose there's no purpose in keeping it a secret," Wiglaf said. "My father will not be pleased, though..."

::

Hiccup's heart quickened as he raced through the forest, hoping to evade the rogue dragon. While it had kept pace with them, it had fallen back a few feet, so Hiccup assumed it was getting tired. That brought little comfort to him, however...

If he was getting tired, then he might start getting desperate. And a desperate dragon was a deadly one.

"Toothless, we have to lose him," Hiccup said, fear seeping into his words. Toothless hummed in agreement before stealing a glance at the dragon chasing them.

If his eyes didn't beheld it he would have never believed it to be true that this dragon was chasing him. Granted they hadn't parted on the best of terms but he could think of nothing that would warrant this.

Hiccup worked the pedal and they quickly banked to the left, then it dawned on Toothless...

Hiccup!

He was a fool. How many winters had they spent hunting their enemies, the Man-eaters? And now here he was covered in a man's scent. He should have been able to figure it out sooner.

If he didn't do something soon, he'll be overtaken. And at that point, he wasn't sure if he could protect Hiccup. Just as this thought crossed his mind, another fire-bolt flew right passed them and impacted a tree in front of them. The tree exploded in hail of fiery splinters, causing Hiccup to shield his eyes and Toothless to turn his head to do the same. This gave the rogue enough time to surge forward with a burst of speed and ram Toothless in the side. He slammed into a large tree, Hiccup was sent flying off of Toothless, sailed through the air, and landed in the dry riverbed of a clearing; with Toothless hitting the ground hard a few feet away from him.

"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet. While Hiccup had remained relatively unharmed in the crash, Toothless had received a few gashes on his left shoulder and the impact on the ground had not helped things. Before Hiccup could asses the damage, let alone dress the wounds, the rogue Night Furry landed at the other side of the clearing.

That's when all doubts about this dragon's identity left his mind. The blue eyes had aroused his suspicions at first but the scar over the left eye had confirmed them and Hiccup found Unferth's words from earlier ringing in his ears:

"A demon as black as night, scourge of the Geats..."

"Grendel," he whispered.

He was a large dragon, a size or two larger than Toothless, both broader and taller, and a few more battle scars as well. The most profound of these scars, other than the one over his eye, was a cross-shaped scar on the same shoulder as Toothless' wounds. He had the whiskers Beowulf had mentioned this morning but also a row of spikes going down his chin and ending at the base of his neck, while the plates on his head were more angular and pointed.

All these features lead Hiccup to believe that this Night Furry was much older than Toothless. He stood with a dignifying grace that filled Hiccup with a sense of awe and Toothless with a deep sense of longing. He had seen him like this before, many years ago in the mountains, where they and their pack made their final stand against the invaders. That felt like a lifetime ago, when the world was a simpler place and the works of man were as important to him as the labors of field mice. But now his old life had collided with his new one.

Would he understand?

Would he be able to fathom that this young boy means as much to him as he does?

Hiccup watched as the rogue's eyes shifted between the pair, a look of wariness shined in those deep, blue pools of his. It seemed that he had difficulty understanding his relationship with Toothless. He took a step forward and Toothless jumped to his feet, wincing at the pain it caused.

"Toothless," Hiccup called, moving to be by his dragon. Toothless took the opportunity to shield Hiccup from the rogue with his body. He may owe his life to this dragon many times over but he would die before he let any harm come to Hiccup.

"Toothless?" Hiccup asked, putting a hand on his shoulder, mindful of the wounds. Toothless took a glance at the boy, then training his eyes back to the other Night Furry. 'Is there some past between them?' Hiccup thought, recalling the events with the Whispering Death.

"Hiccup!" he heard someone call from above. He looked to the skies and saw Astrid and Wiglaf atop Stormfly.

"Astrid!" Hiccup called back.

"Hygelac!" he heard Wiglaf called, unsure of who he meant. He looked back at the rogue and found him looking at the new arrivals as well. Before Stormfly even touched the ground, Wiglaf jumped off the Nadder, with Astrid following suite. Wiglaf immediately ran towards the rogue Night Fury while Astrid ran towards Hiccup and Toothless.

"No, Wiglaf!" Hiccup called to the young Geat. "Its alright," Astrid said, when she reached the pair. Hiccup turned to her and found her smiling face a welcoming sight. "They know each other." Hiccup turned back to Wiglaf and the rogue, and found that he was nuzzling into Wiglaf's chest affectionately and Wiglaf responding in kind. "He's Grendel," Hiccup said, confused.

Toothless hummed, also in confusion.

"I know," Astrid nodded. Hiccup turned to her, mouth agape. "Wiglaf told me that Beowulf could not bring himself to kill Grendel," she said. "Instead he took him as a living trophy." "A few years later, Beowulf released him and he did not return..." she paused for a moment before continuing. "Until Beowulf fought his Mother."

"He came back to protect her," reasoned Hiccup, turning back to Wiglaf and the dragon. "No," Astrid said, shaking her head.

"To kill her."

"What?" Hiccup asked, turning back to her. "Wiglaf told me that when his father fought the Mother," Astrid said. "Grendel returned to aid Beowulf for sparing him." "When the battle was won," she continued. "Beowulf feared that his people would kill his new friend, so he took him to a temple and had his name changed to Hygelac, after their king." "Why a temple?" Hiccup asked at the conclusion of her story.

"Its a belief," Wiglaf said, approaching the teens and their dragons, with Hygelac in tow. "Among a group of people who share the faith of Christ, like my father, that if you bathe in waters blessed by a priest, your sins will wash away. When this happens, sometimes the priest will give you a new name, as if you are born a second time, and my father chose Hygelac."

"Why Hygelac?" Astrid asked. "In the lands of the Geats," Wiglaf answered. "No king was more loved than Hygelac. He protected Christians from persecution and decreed that all faiths should be respected." "After Hygelac's death," Wiglaf continued. "His son Heardred, knowing how beloved his father was, made it law that anything..." Wiglaf stopped, turned to Hygelac, and placed a hand on his undamaged shoulder. "Or anyone bearing the name of Hygelac could not be harmed by mortal hands." "Why did your father free him?" Hiccup asked. Wiglaf pursed his lips and looked away for a moment. "After my mother's death," he said. "My father fell into a deep depression and released Grendel, not caring what would happen."

"How is your dragon?" Wiglaf asked Hiccup, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Oh," Hiccup said, nearly forgetting Toothless. He turned back to the injured dragon's shoulder to asses the damage. There were three gashes on his shoulder, all were bleeding but not profusely and none them were too deep. "Its okay, buddy," Hiccup said, comfortingly. "We'll get you cleaned up."

He opened his saddlebag to retrieve the gauze and bandaging he kept in case of emergencies such as these. As he turned back to Toothless' shoulder, he saw Hygelac stretch forward and turned his head to the wound. Toothless gave him a growl of warning but was quickly silenced by one Hygelac's own growls. Astrid and Hiccup were quite surprised about how easily Hygelac had gotten Toothless to back down. But they were even more surprise to see Hygelac begin licking the wound clean.

After a few moments, he pulled back, licked his chops, then closed his mouth. He then turned from the three teens and their dragons, walked to the other side of the clearing, laid down on the ground, curled up, and fell asleep with his back to them. They stared a his back for a moment before Hiccup broke the silence.

"Do you think they know each other?" he asked aloud. "Its possible they're even kin," Wiglaf said. He had no inkling of how right he was. After all is there any more closer in kinship then father and son? Under lighter circumstances, Toothless would have been ecstatic to see his father again; the circumstances to Hygelac, however, made no difference. Toothless was neither the first nor the last of Hygelac's offspring and he had sired many children, so there was no reason that he could see for this to bring any sense of joy.

True, there was a time when Hygelac would protect a younger Toothless with his very life but that time had long since past and his duties as a father were no longer needed. His duties as a pack leader, however, would never falter.

"I better get him," Wiglaf said. "We have a long walk a head of us." Hiccup and Astrid exchange looks and then turned back to Wiglaf. "Why do you insist we walk?" Astrid asked. Wiglaf stopped halfway between the two Night Furies and turned back to Astrid. "How do you propose we get back then?" he asked. "Our dragons," she answered as if it was painfully obvious.

"Do you expect me to learn to fly before the night is out?" Wiglaf asked. "It isn't as hard as you might think," Hiccup said, after finishing dressing Toothless' wound. He went over to Wiglaf and the two young men went over to the sleeping dragon.

"You and Hygelac are already friends so that should make things a bit smoother," Hiccup said as they reached Hygelac. "To ride a dragon, there must be trust and respect between dragon and rider." Wiglaf nodded, "Hygelac," he called. The snoozing dragon turned to them, stood up, stretched and yawn, then walked over to Hiccup and Wiglaf. He looked at them with lazy eyes. "Stretch out your hand and you'll know he trusts you when he bows his head to let you on." Wiglaf glanced at Hiccup for a moment then back at Hygelac. He stretched forth his hand towards the elder Night Furry, who looked at his hand inquisitively.

In all the years that they had known each other, Wiglaf had never done anything like this before and this action confused him. But Hygelac had always trusted him and his instincts were telling him to trust him now. He bowed and placed his snout against the palm of his hand, starting a bond they neither would have ever deemed possible. "Now hold that for a moment," Hiccup said, before turning back to Astrid. "Can you get the rope from my bag?" he asked.

She nodded and went to Toothless' side and took the length of rope from the saddlebag. She rubbed his shoulder and gave a comforting smile to Toothless before heading over to Hiccup. She passed the rope off to him and stood to the side, watching the events unfold. Hiccup took the rope and went to Hygelac's side. The dragon watched as the boy approached him from the corner of his eye and emitted a low warning growl but was quieted by a shush from Wiglaf.

"Easy, easy," Hiccup said, holding his hand out, trying to reassure Hygelac. He then took the rope and laid it on top of his neck at the base of his shoulders then bent down and began tying the rope. "Make sure it isn't too tight," Wiglaf said. "I don't want to choke him." Hiccup smiled, finished his knot, then stood up.

"Alright," he said. "He should let you on now." Wiglaf slowly slowly pulled his hand away from from Hygelac's snout and walked around to the his side, standing next to Hiccup. Hygelac lowered himself just enough for Wiglaf to get on. He gripped the rope and pulled himself onto Hygelac's back. "Its not too comfortable, is it?" Wiglaf asked with a smirk. "Yeah," Hiccup agreed with a smirk of his own. "We'll need to get you a saddle before too long but you should be fine tonight." Hiccup turned and headed back to Toothless while Astrid returned to Stormfly.

"Are you comfortable with this?" Wiglaf asked Hygelac. He gave a hum that stressed boredom and yawned again, Wiglaf smiled again and patted him on the side. Hiccup gave Toothless' wound and made a mental note to change it when they got home before climbing onto his saddle. Astrid did the same and walked Stormfly over to the pair. "You know if anything happens to either of them," she said. "Beowulf won't be happy."

"Then let's make sure nothing happens to them," Hiccup said. "Keep your eyes open for any wild dragons." "With Toothless' injured shoulder," he continued. "I don't know how good in a fight we'll be."

"Just leave defense to me," she said, flexing her arm. "No problem," Hiccup said, then turned back to Wiglaf. "Are you ready?"

Wiglaf nodded.

"Alright," he said. "When you want him to go just nudge him with the heel of your foot."

Wiglaf nodded to show that he understood.

"Okay," Hiccup said. "Let's go."

Stormfly then launched off the ground into the night sky, followed by Toothless.

Wiglaf hung back for a moment then he lightly nudged Hygelac in the sides, causing the dragon to launch into the skies a bit faster then Wiglaf would have preferred.