Okay, time for the next chapter. Will Tuffnut make it back to Berk in time? Do I always have to start with rhetorical questions? The wonderful thing about these is that I don't actually have to answer.
Ruffnut stood, watching Toothless grow to be a tiny speck against the clouds, and then disappear totally, taking with him his rider and her ailing brother. It almost felt as though she should wave them off as they soared away through the air, but she couldn't bring herself to give such a gesture. If anything, she felt drained, staring into the sky with dull eyes, until a hand on her shoulder brought her back to her senses.
"Come on, Ruffnut. We can't stay here all day. We have to get going." Astrid reasoned, an encouraging smile locked on her lips. The twin returned it, though not at all convincingly, and nodded, moving slowly to her dragon's side and lifting her hands to them. Barf's head snaking down, placing their muzzle in her palms, and then sinking low enough for her to swing herself into the saddle. Astrid did the same, though she couldn't say that she felt at all safe balanced precariously in the Zippleback's thin neck. Give me the broad shoulders of a Nadder any day, She thought to herself.
Barf and Belch was already fairly sweaty from their celebratory flight. When Hiccup had released the metal strip, they had instantly leapt aloft and taken to the air with much vigour. Obviously, they wouldn't be flying back into the wind with any great speed. They gave their crackling growl, ready to make the leap into the air again. Ruffnut and Astrid nodded to one another and gave both necks a gentle squeeze with their heels.
The flight was not comfortable at all. Astrid spent most of it clinging to the dragon's horns for her life. The gusting of the stormy air coupled with the motion of the dragon bobbing it's head as it flew and the narrowness of the neck came together to create the most uncomfortable and downright terrifying rides of her life. The blonde could see why the twins enjoyed riding their dragon so much. They always had a certain affinity for danger.
The sister turned to her, looking her over, before trying to speak.
"Astrid... what's going to happen to Tuffnut?"
"How should I know?" She retorted, readjusting her seat for the sixth time. "It's all up to him now. If he wants to live, he'll live, and if he can't hold on... well, you know the rest."
"But... what happens to us, then? If he dies, what happens to Barf and Belch? And to me?"
"That's for Hiccup to decide, not me,"
Ruffnut thought for a second before asking another infuriating question. "Are you scared?"
"Of this dragon? A little!" Astrid snarled, glaring at the sister, who seemed completely oblivious. She simply looked away again.
The storm clouds were thinning around them, tendrils and wisps of white among the grey. The winds were dying down, the rain had stopped, and finally, Astrid was getting an appreciation for the power of storms, the swirling winds whipping the colour into her cheeks and chilling her sodden clothes so that she could barely feel her feet or hands. At a glance, it was obvious that Ruffnut was in exactly the same position.
"Let's just hope we get back to Berk soon..."
Hiccup had demanded the girls change and bathe before they came to see Tuffnut, assuring them that he was fine for the moment. He knew that they needed to get the warmth back into their bodies before they could be expected to function at all normally. He stood in the doorway of the dark hut, staring out into the brightening sky, his arms crossed. Above him, the Monstrous Nightmare carving watched over the village as it slowly came back to life. People began to shuffle to and fro, carrying this, delivering that, buying things from the stall that were just beginning to reopen. Some even went to check on elderly relatives.
He lent against the door frame, breathing a deep sigh, trying to keep the slight smirk from sliding off his face. Behind him, he knew Gothi was at work, trying what she could to soothe the twin and ease his recovery. However, if the need arose, she would also be there to ease his passage. Hiccup gulped. He refused to think about it.
All of a sudden, from across the square came a shout, followed by a great cacophony of noise as a Zippleback charged through the scattering of people. Not just any Zippleback, Hiccup noticed, but a certain grass-green and red one. Barf and Belch flailed wildly around the square, pulling themselves off balance by trying to search with both heads at once. Behind them, their rider was chasing them to try to get them under control. She grabbed Barf's head, only to be tossed away and crash into a pile of baskets. Hiccup was about to help her, but found that, before he could even stand up straight, she had risen and was dusting herself off. Evidently, she had had worse falls.
Her eyes caught his, and in a second, the dragon didn't even matter any more. She began to make her way towards him, first trying to walk nonchalantly, as if nothing was wrong, but her speed quickly increased as she found no-one paying her any heed, accelerating to a run as she reached the steps and leapt up them rapidly.
She reached the door just as Hiccup's hand shot out and grabbed her arm.
"You can't go in, Ruffnut. Not yet." He tried to sound as calm as possible, locking her with a steady gaze. She returned it and stepped back, scowling.
"Why not? Is he...?"
"No, no," Hiccup answered quickly. "No, he's okay, but Gothi needs to work on him alone. You know how it is..."
"Yeah..." Ruffnut looked away, shoulders slumping, and fell back against the side of the house, inconsolable. Before them, Barf and Belch were putting on quite a show, to the annoyance of the rest of the village, as their tails thrashed things out of people's hands and swept tables clear. They were searching for their fallen rider.
"Are you gonna...?" Hiccup gestured towards the out-of-control dragon.
"Nope." Came the short reply. Her hand came up to massage her temples, hiding her face from view.
"You okay?"
"Just a headache. All this noise, you know?" She looked over at him. "And the cold didn't help, either. When my ears get too cold, they give me a headache. No idea why."
"Well, that's strange." The boy snorted sarcastically. He looked at her meaningfully once again, and she sighed, muttering under her breath. Stepping forward, she took a deep breath and thrust her shoulders back, then uttered the single loudest shout Hiccup had ever heard from anyone who wasn't his father.
"Oi! CUT IT OUT ALREADY!"
Utterly startled, the dragon actually fell over before scrabbling into a submissive position, chattering unhappily, their tails between their legs. The anger melted almost immediately from Ruffnut's face. Seeing that they were forgiven, the Zippleback gave a quiet noise, looking out at her, wide-eyed. She reached out for her dragon. Their heads came to her palms as if practised at doing so, and she gave them both a gentle stroke, smiling.
"Whatever happens now, guys, we'll always have each other. We'll stick together. Deal?"
The looks in their eyes gave her just the answer she needed to see.
Oooh, cuteness! Will Tuffnut be alright? Find out next chapter, which should hopefully be the last! Then I can bring you The Runaway, something I'm really looking forward to writing.