Ruffnut's Wish Chapter 3
It was Óðinsdagr. (We would call it Wednesday). The teens were taking their morning flight on their dragons, with Flinrider and Ferncookie as happy passengers on the Zippleback. They kept encouraging Ruff and Tuff to try ever-crazier stunts, which set the other teens' nerves on edge even more than Ruff and Tuff's usual insanity.
Astrid slid Stormfly sideways so she could talk to Hiccup without shouting. "Those four are going to give me a heart attack if they swoop any closer to the ground! The way they all think alike, they're like a human Snaptrapper!"
"You realize they might be here for keeps?" Hiccup asked.
"You're not serious! Are you?" she replied.
"I think they're getting serious about each other," he said. "It's the first time Ruff and Tuff have ever met people just like they are. The visitors don't have anyplace else to go, and they're just as happy with Ruff and Tuff as our friends are with them. Maybe they need to find a Snaptrapper so they can all ride together."
"Are you saying... they might get married?" Astrid couldn't believe it.
"Why not? They obviously make two good couples, and it's no secret that the Thorstons can't wait to get the twins out of the house. I think it could happen."
"Berk can barely handle two of them!" she sputtered. "We may not survive four!"
"Or maybe they'll occupy each other so the rest of us can live in peace," he suggested.
Fishlegs had been listening quietly; now he had Meatlug close the distance so he could join the conversation. "Ooh! I know what to call them! TuffCookie and RuffRider!"
Hiccup did a facepalm. "Fishlegs, sometimes –"
He was interrupted by a distant female scream. Everyone looked around frantically. Astrid was the first to see her. "Over to the left! Somebody catch her!"
All the dragons broke left and dove. Their target was a girl who was plummeting out of the sky; there was no time to ask why or how. Stormfly got there first, but she misjudged the girl's falling speed and came in too high. Hookfang almost did the same thing, but Snotlout reached out and caught the falling girl by her wrist. The dragon sagged in mid-air as he took the force of her plunge, strained, and swung her up onto Hookfang's neck right behind him.
Hiccup heaved a sigh of relief. "Nice work, Lout! Today, you're the hero!"
Snotlout didn't notice. He was trying to get a look at the girl behind him, who was clinging onto him as though she might fall again. "Thank you... thank you..." she gasped.
"So... do you come here often?" he asked.
"Where is 'here'?" she wondered.
"We're from the island of Berk," he answered.
"Berk? Then I'm a long way from home!" she exclaimed.
Hiccup maneuvered Toothless close enough to talk. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you wind up falling out of the sky?"
"I think I made a witch angry at me," she answered. "She sold me a potion that was supposed to make me taller, it didn't work, and I asked for my money back or I'd tell everyone she was a fake. She called me a liar, wiggled her hands and said some strange words, and the next thing I knew, I was falling."
She turned her attention to Snotlout. "You saved my life, whoever you are! Thank you!"
He grinned. "I'm Snotlout, and I'm the real Viking around here."
She reached forward and felt his biceps. "I guess you are! My name is Misti. Misti Reese."
Astrid grimaced. "You're kidding, right? We caught a 'Misti Reese' girl falling out of the sky? Please tell me this isn't going to be one of those stories!"
Snotlout was oblivious. When she'd reached forward, he'd gotten a look at her. She was short and slightly plump; she had long, thick, wavy blonde hair, a beautiful face with violet eyes and a perfect nose, and... when she pressed against him, he could tell she had two other features that he really liked in a girl.
"So, uhh, Misti, how do you like my dragon?" he began.
She took her first look at the creature she was riding. "Oh, my gosh, it's huge!"
"Yup," he smiled. "He's a Monstrous Nightmare, the biggest, baddest dragon there is. His name is Hookfang."
"And you can control him? Wow." She gave him another hug. "You are awesome!"
He was having trouble controlling the silly grin that was creeping across his face. "Yeah, I guess I am. I'm glad you noticed. So, when we get back to land, how about I give you the guided tour of Berk?"
"I'd like that," she whispered, without letting go of him. "A lot."
Astrid was looking very distressed at all this. Hiccup slid Toothless over to her. "Tell me this isn't happening," she begged him. "Please tell me Snotlout didn't just find the perfect girl friend!"
"It's sure starting to look that way," he said.
"His I-told-you-so attitude is going to be insufferable," she sighed.
"Or maybe she'll keep him so distracted, he'll forget that we even exist," he suggested. He pointed up to where the twins and their sweethearts were doing barrel rolls on Barf and Belch. "Like them."
He raised his voice so all the riders could hear him. "We all just had a good scare, so let's head for home."
"Would it be okay if I took Misti for a ride?" Snotlout called back. "She's never ridden a dragon before."
"I guess I should have seen that coming," Hiccup said, too quietly for anyone but Astrid to hear. Out loud, he called, "Sure. You know the way home. We'll see you when you get there." Toothless, Stormfly, and Meatlug peeled off and returned to the Dragon Training Academy.
As soon as they landed, Astrid rushed over to Hiccup. "Okay, I am completely convinced about Ruffnut and her wish. There is no way this could be a coincidence! No way!"
"I admit, the whole 'coincidence' theory is looking a little weak," he nodded reluctantly. "But it's still not completely impossible."
"Hiccup, you can't be serious! A perfectly-proportioned ditzy blonde just happens to fall out of the sky, right where Snotlout can catch her? On top of yesterday's wild and crazy visitors, who have stolen the hearts of Ruff and Tuff? What's it going to take before you believe?"
Hiccup glanced at Fishlegs, who had just dismounted and joined them. He was very agitated, in a happy way.
"Do you know what this means?" he gushed. "Tomorrow could be the day I find my perfect girl!"
"Legs... how can I say this without sounding discouraging?" Hiccup turned back to Astrid. "If that happens, then I'll believe."
Fishlegs had rushed back to Meatlug and hugged her. "Old girl, if I do meet the perfect girl friend tomorrow, please don't be jealous, okay? You'll always be the only dragon for me." The Gronckle rumbled; she seemed puzzled.
Astrid whispered in Hiccup's ear, "If he doesn't find her, he's going to be heartbroken!"
"I guess that's a good reason to hope he does find her," he whispered back.