Part Six

Something scraped and bumped against the edge of Fishlegs' consciousness. He groaned at the phantom sounds, angry at them for pushing him awake. Slowly, the blonde cracked open his eyes, squinting as sunlight flowed into his retinas.

He coaxed another groan from his throat and, out of habit, raised his arm to block out the bright light. It took a moment for Fishlegs to realize that he was indeed able to move his arm, albeit slowly as his stiff muscles protested the movement, without worry of pulling at the ropes. In fact, he noticed, massaging his wrists, there were no ropes. The discovery of his freedom quickly whisked the remainder of his sleep away and Fishlegs blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the mid-morning sun.

"If you're up, we've got some breakfast for you."

Fishlegs jumped, startled by the voice. Hiccup was smiling lightly at him, a plate of roasted fish and grain gruel on the table next to him. The boy's stomach let out a loud rumble and Fishlegs was more than happy to answer. Scrambling to his feet, he crossed the small distance to the main table, eating the offered food before his bottom touched the chair. Hiccup chuckled at the other's eagerness, picking through his own food at a much calmer pace. He was not terribly hungry, the still roiling emotions ebbing away at his appetite, but he knew he had to eat.

"This is good!" Fishlegs said excitedly, though with his cheeks full of food it sounded more like: 'ish ish whoo!'

By the fireplace, Toothless happily crooned his agreement as he slid a third whole fish into his mouth.

"I didn't cook that…" Hiccup joked.

Fishlegs glanced again between the boy and his dragon, still rather amazed by the easy camaraderie they had. Toothless' wide eyes were peaceful, the fins and flaps around his face calm. Fishlegs noted that they twitched when the dragon was alert or threatened, much like antennae.

"So…" Hiccup's voice brought Fishlegs' attention back to his host. He seemed to have a question poking in his brain but was unsure how to broach it. Fishlegs awkwardly scuffed his boots along the floor, waiting.

Finally Hiccup continued. "The…uhm...I mean…does everyone…about Toothless...and me?"

Now it was Fishlegs turn to pause. Clearly Hiccup was afraid of the answer and after what happened back then, it was no wonder. But what answer was he afraid of, Fishlegs wondered; if the Hooligans all knew or if they had forgotten one of their own.

"It's…it's really more of a rumor really," he said slowly. "No one would confirm or deny it…"

Hiccup let the slow words flow into him. Astrid, his father, and the few Hooligans that may have had a clear view of him that night were probably the only ones that truly knew about him and Toothless.

Fishlegs watched Hiccup for a moment, glad that the other was not pressing the issue. The fact was Stoick would not let anyone talk about his outcast son. Even the simple mention of the name 'Hiccup' was enough for the chief to threaten to send them to Outcast Island. Sure, in the beginning, the Hooligans were achingly curious, but after everything else that had happened, the people of Berk had more important things to worry about than one boy supposedly riding a dragon on the edge of the world.

"Fishlegs…"

The blonde jumped as he was pulled from his thoughts.

"Berk…" Hiccup felt his chest clench saying the word. "Tell me everything."

For the remainder of the day and into the starting edges of night, Fishlegs recounted the arduous life the Hooligans had lived after the events on Dragon Island. A total of twenty-six Vikings lost their lives on Dragon Island, forty-one sported new injuries and of those forty-one, seven more were too severely damaged to save. After the immediate return to the Isle of Berk and finding the place overrun with the escaped dragons, the Hooligans tried their best to fight off the beasts. But low morale and dwindling numbers of the able bodied gifted them with a swift defeat. They fled to the opposite end of the island where the trees were thick and winding caves offered mild protection. It was supposed to be temporary; just a time for the battered Hooligans to regroup, rest, and heal before retaking their homeland. But the pests tripled over the weeks and the Vikings had little choice but to flee to their semi-allies in the Berserker Island, controlled by the charitable Oswald the Agreeable.

"It was actually a pretty smart move on Snot – I mean Chief Snotlout's part."

Hiccup threw up a hand, "Wait wait wait…what was that?"

"What?"

"Snotlout is chief? Really?" Hiccup found it hard to believe that the condescending, dimwitted boy could make anything close to a good leader.

But Fishlegs nodded his head eagerly. "Yeah. He did this thing with a Nightmare that saved a lot of the kids - "

Hiccup arched a brow, confused.

"He just stormed up to it and started roaring right back in its face!" Fishlegs explained. "I was sure the thing was going to eat him but I guess Snotlout scares even dragons because that Nightmare turned tail and ran."

"And they made him chief for that?"Seemed like nothing more than any of the other Vikings would have done and while Hiccup was glad his old home was stitching together a new life, he was having serious trouble wrapping his mind around Snotlout as chief.

"Well, that and the way he got everyone together. After everything that happened…people were really low, Hiccup. I mean, they were more willing to hide from the dragons than fight. But Snotlout…I think seeing his family die like that made him different. He made this big speech, swore to avenge the dead…" Fishlegs shrugged. "I mean, he's still Snotlout: he thinks with an axe more than a brain, but that's what Gobber is for."

Again, Hiccup found himself confused.

"Gobber is Snotlout's advisor," the other offered matter-of-factly. "He balances the chief out. You know how Gobber is."

Hiccup allowed himself another rare, small smile. Gobber's harsh, honest wisdom would be a good blade against Snotlout's brutish nature. He nodded and gestured for Fishlegs to continue his story.

"We probably would have stayed on with the Berserker's for a while but Dagur…well, I mean no one can PROVE it...but one day Oswald was found dead and Dagur was made chief. He forced Snotl – Chief Snotlout – to sign a new 'peace agreement'." Fishlegs scoffed. "'The former Berkians and Berserkers agree to an endless peace so long as neither ever cross paths again," he recited mockingly.

He continued to explain how the homeless Vikings were forced to return to the waters, sailing for nearly four months until they discovered an uninhabited, unclaimed land that was large enough to host the rambunctious Hooligans.

"So then why are you here?" Unlike the first time he asked, Hiccup was genuinely confused. Fishlegs had said he was looking for a new island…

"The island is sinking."

Author's Notes:

I want to first apologize for taking so long to upload this chapter. I know a lot of you were waiting a while. I recently went out of the country and was hoping to get this chapter posted before then, but sadly, things did not work out that way.

I know this chapter is not as hefty as those prior, but I did have to get some more history out of the way. I promise the next chapters will be more entertaining and engaging.

Finally, I have a question for you guys: Which of the twins do you think is strongest? I mean physical, emotional, and mental strength. This will pivotal to part eight so think hard on your answers.

As always, please read and review. As much as I appreciate being favorited and racking up the followers, as a writer, I like to hear reviews. Not just good stuff, but honest thoughts and opinions. What did you like, what did you hate, what did I do well, what did I butcher - these things help me to improve as I work on my writing and are the treasure of any writer. Please don't take this as greed for reviews, a plea for attention, or a demand - this is simply a request from a writer and reader to fellow writers and readers.