Chapter 33: A Grim Retreat
It was a nice peaceful day on the Edge, but sadly the Riders had no time to enjoy it. Hiccup had insisted that they worked on fortifying the Edge by enhancing the reinforcements with Gronckle Iron.
Fishlegs, Snotlout and the Thorston twins were making the Gronckle Iron, while Astrid and Raeda welded it to the foundations. Hiccup at the job delivering the finishing pieces of Gronckle Iron to Astrid and Raeda.
"All right, Meatlug, there we go." Fishlegs said as Meatlug spewed some lava into a mold. "Good girl. Hey, you know what I just realized? This is a new record for Gronckle Iron production." He then dropped his prongs and gave Meatlug a hug. "Who's a good iron-making machine? Yes, you are."
"Whatever," said Snotlout as he held a sheet of Gronckle Iron to Hookfang, who was softening it with his fire so that it could easily be molded to the shape they wanted. "If it weren't for Hookfang, that would just be a glob of useless barfed-up metal."
"Well, if it weren't for Barf and Belch…" said Tuffnut as he and his sister placed one of the finished sheets in front of Barf and Belch, who began pounding it with their heads.
"We rest our case," Ruffnut said.
"Uh-huh." Tuffnut nodded.
They kept this production for hours and eventually the dragons began to tire from all the hard work making progress even slower. Eventually, the Haddock twins, Astrid and Raeda and Henry flew over to find out what was the hold-up.
"Uh, Hiccup, Hicca?" Fishlegs asked, looking at their leaders. He then looked to Meatlug, who was spewing up lava slowly. "I think Meatlug might be ready for a break. She's starting to lose her gag reflex." He noted.
"Too much barfing lava can do that to her alright." Henry commented.
"Guess the perfect little machine isn't so perfect, after all," Snotlout smirked.
"Have you checked your dragon? The giant oven doesn't look too perky, either," Fishlegs pointed out.
Fishlegs was right, Hookfang was so tired that he toppled over. Unfortunately, this course made him shoot out a burst of fire at Barf and Belch, who caused a small explosion that sent the spark frightening both Stormfly and Sparkfire. Stormfly retaliated by firing several spikes at the twins and pinning them upside-down to tree, while Sparkfire pounced on Hookfang.
Even Toothless and Midnight were getting agitated as they snarled at the other dragons.
"Really? You too, bud?" Hiccup asked his dragon.
"Seriously, Midnight? This is beneath." Hicca asked her dragon.
They watched the two Night Furies roaring at Stormfly, Sparkfire and Hookfang. 'Would you three cut it out!' Toothless roared.
'Hookfang started it!' Sparkfire retorted.
'Not my fault your riders are working to exhaustion!' Hookfang growled.
'Take that back!' Midnight demanded.
"All right, that's it! Dragons, to your corners!" Hiccup ordered.
The dragons did what they toured and backed off from one another, but it was clear that they were overworked.
"Hey, Hiccup," Tuffnut said, still upside down. "Do you know that upside-down you actually have a metal arm instead of a metal leg?"
"What is going on around here?" Hiccup asked in disbelief.
"Bro, have you not counted how long they've been working?" Hicca asked her brother in surprise.
"Yeah, Hiccup, we've been working really hard on these reinforcement walls," Astrid said tiredly. "Everyone is just tired. Look at the dragons."
"They're right, if they keep this up they'll collapse, they need a rest," Henry said.
"Not to mention they're slowly exhausting their abilities while Barf and Belch must have major headaches." Hicca added she did a check-up of each dragon. "You both know that you could've used a hammer so you didn't have to use your dragon's heads." She said to the Thorston twins while bringing out a big hammer to prove her point.
"Um, where's the fun in that?" Ruffnut asked.
"Oh my Thor." Hicca sighs.
"You know, Hookfang and I could use a vacay." Snotlout said.
"Vacation?" Tuffnut asked looking up, or down depending on your perspective. "Count us in. We'll grab our straw helmets and a chilling tale of Viking murder to read on some enchanted beach, laughing as the waves crash against us."
"Guys, I get you're all tired, but remember why we're doing this." Hiccup said.
"Oh, because you and Hicca told us to, but at least Hicca understands." Snotlout said while giving Hiccup a look.
"No, because Viggo is out there. And he can use the Dragon Eye without the Snow Wraith Key," Hiccup said while holding out the Snow Wraith tooth. "We can't leave the Edge unguarded again if he plans on an attack and he's already made a new dragon root formula, nearly captured the Screaming Death and uses an ancient disease that nearly killed Astrid. We can't afford to take any chances."
"So, yay or nay on the vacay?" Ruffnut asked.
"Oh, gods," Hiccup groaned before he walked back to his hut.
Henry then looks at Hicca with a raised eyebrow. "How is it that you are more reasonable than your brother when he is overworking the dragons?" He asked.
"Hiccup still feels guilty that his loss of the Dragon Eye nearly cost Toothless, The Screaming Death and his mother, and Astrid their lives." Hicca explained. "He's been making sure to plan every worst case scenario to prepare us for if we ever face your father and the hunters again." She added as she looked at her brother in concern as he went to his hut.
"Well that won't do us any good if our dragons are too tired to even get off the ground." Henry said, gesturing to the dragons as they pants from all the labor.
"Huh. We gotta find a way to talk some sense into Hiccup before we have enough Gronckle Iron that would make this whole island metal." Hicca said as she placed a hand on her forehead.
"I don't think that would be possible." Fishlegs said as he looked at their Gronckle Iron supplies. "I did an inventory check and saw that we are out of sandstones." He said.
"We're already out?" Hicca asked in surprise before an idea came to her. "That's it!" She smiled and snapped her fingers.
"Huh?" The others said in confusion.
(Linebreak)
Later that evening, Hiccup was doing some more work on his map and then he noticed Astrid, Hicca and Fishlegs entering his hut.
"Working on your map, huh?" Astrid asked.
"You've really put some effort into it lately, bro." Hicca commented.
"Need any help?" Fishlegs asked.
Hiccup didn't even look at them. "No, thanks, I'm just kind of—"
"You sure? 'Cause, you know, Hicca and Fishlegs are really great at writing maps. You and your sister work on them together." Astrid said in a small smile.
"Really great," Fishlegs said.
"We did do maps together, bro." Hicca pointed out.
Hiccup looked up and saw that the three of them were sharing the same face that told a person but they wanted something.
"Okay, fine, out with it, you three." Hiccup told them. "You didn't come all the way up here because you love cartography and I know Hicca is here to talk some sense into me if she is siding with you two." He said, knowing that they are here for a reason.
The three Vikings looked at one another and then gave Hiccup a business-like look.
"We object." Astrid told him.
"We're going on strike, Hiccup." Hicca added.
"We think everyone could use a break." Fishlegs said as they bent down.
"And as the healer of Dragon's Edge and second-in-command of the Dragon Riders, I have the last say to our health, especially the dragons," Hicca said firmly. "They get really agitated if they work too much, even dragons have their limits."
"Guys, I thought we went over this," Hiccup said.
"No we didn't, Hiccup. Nobody says we have to stop completely just for a short break so the dragons can get their strength back." Hicca explained.
"Just hear us out." said Astrid.
"So we suggest a compromise to do both work and rest for a bit." Hicca added.
"As you know, we've been making Gronckle Iron. A lot of it." Fishlegs said. "In doing so, we've exhausted the supply of sandstone on the Edge. And as you know, no sandstone, no Gronckle Iron."
"Which means we will not be able to defend the Edge from Viggo and his hunters if we don't replenish our supplies of sandstone to make more Gronckle Iron." Hicca added.
"There's a nearby island that has such a huge supply of it," Astrid said. "It's also deserted, quiet and would be a great place to relax, and take a little break from real work."
Hiccup looked at the three of them and could see that there was no way of dissuading them. "I don't really have a choice on this one, do I?" He asked.
"No. You really don't. Which is what we call a compromise." Hicca said with a smirk.
"Of course it is." Hiccup said with a sigh as he looked at the map. "Where is this island, exactly?" He asked them.
Astrid then placed a finger on one of the islands on his map.
(Linebreak)
The next morning, they began to pack and had asked Stoick and Gobber to guard the island while they were away.
"All right. Viggo would most likely wait for low tide and try to penetrate the lower wall, then come up through the arena," said Hiccup.
"Which is why you and your sister secured it from the outside," Stoick finished. He then placed his hand upon his son's shoulders. "Hiccup, Gobber and I have defended Berk from much worse than a bunch of namby-pamby Dragon Hunters."
"I know, Dad, of course." Hiccup said.
"We know that the Edge will be in good hands with you two keeping it protected while we're gone." Hicca added.
They then stopped and turned as the Thorston twins landed and just stared at their attire. They were wearing the most absurd helmets made of straw that was ever devised and had flower necklaces around their neck.
"Someone die?" Gobber asked, looking quite creeped out. "Yeh two look like yeh're going to a Viking funeral."
"This is our vacation attire," said Tuffnut as they jumped off the dragon's heads.
"Uh, this is not a vacation." Hiccup reminded them.
"Call it what you will. But we plan to kick off our shoes and let the worries of the day melt away." Ruffnut retorted.
Hiccup sighed.
"Hiccup, why did you even bother trying to convince these two? We all know how they can be." Hicca pointed out.
"To be honest, I'm not sure why I ask." Hiccup said honestly.
Snotlout then landed and stared at the Thorston twin's attire. "Did someone die? Was it Fishlegs?" he asked hopefully.
"No, it's not Fishlegs," Fishlegs informed as he landed next to him. "I'm right here and ready to go."
"Go where?" Snotlout frowned. "No one ever tells me anything." He then noticed Stoick. "Hey, chief. What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to look after your base until you all return." Stoick said.
"Return from where?" Snotlout asked.
"You remember that vacation we were talking about?" Tuffnut asked.
"Yes!" said Snotlout hopefully.
Raeda then flies in on Sparkfire as she sighs. "Snotlout can be forgetful when this muttonhead isn't paying attention." She muttered.
"Well, it's not that," said Tuffnut, he then placed a hand near his lips and began winking at Snotlout telling him they were just doing the opposite of that. "We're not going to a deserted island paradise to have any fun whatsoever. Instead, we're going to work, slave away in the sandstone mines."
"What?" Snotlout yelled, clearly not understanding that Tuffnut was talking about the opposite.
"All right, saddle up. We need to get there before dark." said Hiccup as he mounted Toothless.
"Let's go, Midnight." Hicca said as she mounted Midnight.
Tuffnut had asked Gobber to look after Chicken while they were gone and was giving him a few instructions. "Remember, Chicken eat six times a day. Small portions. She's trying to trim down. Then she gets 'special time' before bed. You can read her, tell stories, and massage her. But if you're reading stories, nothing too scary though." He then whispered. "Horrible nightmares where she scratches and claws in the air." He then returned to his normal voice. "Stay about three feet away when she's sleeping."
"I got it, Tuffnut." Gobber assured, who didn't think looking after a single Chicken would be a challenge. "I'll look after her as if she was one of my own."
"All right, everyone. Let's do this," Hiccup said.
"Next stop, Relaxing Island." Hicca called out as she gave a smile, thinking that maybe a break could clear Hiccup's head.
Once they all mounted the dragons they took off into the air and headed straight towards the island paradise.
(Linebreak)
It was about midday when they reached the island and it was a beautiful one. They landed near a large lagoon full clear freshwater and the sun was just right, hardly a cloud in the sky.
"This place is insane!" Snotlout yelled. "Look at that lagoon!" He then looked at the others. "Last one in his rotten 2000-year-old egg." He then tossed his helmet aside and jumped right into the lagoon.
"A perfect spot to relax." Raeda commented with a small smile at the lagoon.
"Not even a Dragon Hunter can take a break like this when they work over time." Henry said with a smile.
"Uh, all right, fine, just a quick swim, then it's back to work." Hiccup conceded.
However, nobody paid any attention and Hiccup watched the other riders in the dragons jump into the lagoon.
"Cannonball!" Fishlegs yelled as he and Meatlug jumped into the lagoon, much to Snotlout and the twin's dismay.
"Oh, no!" Snotlout cried.
They then landed in the water knocking both Snotlout and the twins deep into the water. A bit of it landed on top of Toothless and Midnight's head, who then started to look at the water with a suspicious look.
"What's the matter, bud? Don't feel like a swim?" Hiccup asked Toothless.
"What's wrong, girl? You usually love water." Hicca asked her dragon.
'Something about that water doesn't seem right.' Toothless growled.
'I'm not going in there.' Midnight added.
"Ah, okay. You two just keep watch, then." Hiccup said to the two Night Furies.
"You'll miss out on the fun, but suit yourselves." Hicca added.
The Haddock twins soon joined the others and jumped into the lagoon. They soon began to relax, tossing water at each other, floating eye's surface and having the most relaxing day they had in months.
Hicca looked at her clothes which were soaking wet, "Man, swimming in your clothes can't be healthy when it gets cold." She commented.
"Yeah, maybe we should design waterproof clothes in the future so that they can be useful for swimming." Raeda suggested, floating next to her.
"Good idea, Raeda. We'll put that on the list." Hicca said as they continued to swim in the lagoon.
An hour later, they were still relaxing, except for Hiccup, who was determined to go back straight to work.
"Okay, guys," Hiccup. "Got that out of our system. Now it's time for the other kind of fun. Working."
"Dude, lighten up," Snotlout said, sitting on Hookfang's neck. "R-E-L-A-X. Relax."
"Take a load off, Male H," Tuffnut said.
"Those rocks aren't going anywhere. Unless you move them." Ruffnut reminded him.
Hiccup groaned and looked at Astrid and Hicca, who showed no signs of wanting to leave on their faces as they walked up to him.
"Oh, not you guys, too. You're killing me," Hiccup groaned, hoping that they would have his side in this.
"Hiccup, we're all behind you one hundred percent," Astrid told him.
"We know when to take things seriously, but you do know that after so much labor and hard work for months, our dragons and us deserved this long break." Hicca said to her brother..
Unfortunately at that moment Snotlout just shoved Fishlegs into the lagoon. Hiccup looked at the two of them skeptically.
"Oh, that's nice." Hiccup said skeptically.
"But you can't expect them to be you." Astrid said. "They're your soldiers. And good soldiers will work until their hands are raw and until their backs are almost breaking."
"You don't want them to mutiny against you, bro. If you keep on pressing them to work hard, eventually they will be worn out and collapse. Like I said, everyone, humans and even dragons have their limits." Hicca reminded him.
Astrid nodded. "There does come a point when they need time to regroup, to forget about being soldiers and just be people."
Hiccup sighed, conceding to their points. "You're right. I've been pushing really hard." He then looked at the other Riders, who were enjoying themselves. "They deserve this."
Hicca smiled at her brother. "Glad to hear bro. Now jump on in and join us again. The lagoon feels great." She said with a relaxing expression.
"She's right." Henry spoke out as they turned and looked at Henry and his five dragons, who were laying back while afloat in the water as they relaxed. "The water is to die for." He said in a relaxed tone.
The three chuckled at Henry and his dragons as Hiccup just gave a small sigh with a smile.
"Okay, fine." Hiccup said as he jumped back into the water with the other riders.
(Linebreak)
Later that night, they made camp in the clearing and were preparing to turn in. Then suddenly the twin showed up carrying several plates.
"Dinner is served." Tuffnut said in a posh voice.
Instantly a terrible smell entered their noses, making their eyes water.
"What is that smell?" Fishlegs asked, waving his hand in front of his face.
The other shared his reaction as they retracted from the smaller that was exiting from the Thorston twins' dishes.
"What is this?" Astrid asked while pointing at what could only be described as a lump of slime.
"Oh, glad you asked, milady," said Tuffnut. "That would be some salt-encrusted sea bass with a salty seaweed gravy. Mixed in with salt and all finished with a little pinch of salt on top."
"So basically you're giving salt for dinner." Raeda asked.
"Indeed we are, my good lady." Ruffnut said as she and her brother sat down.
The Riders on the dragons nearly hurled from a single whiff of the stinky fish.
"Oh, weird." said Fishlegs, who watched as Meatlug spewed some lava. "The dragon usually loves fish no matter how bad it tastes."
"Yeah, they usually do." Hicca said while seeing the dragons' reaction while having a thought.
"Hookfang won't even touch it, and I see any piles of yak dung." Snotlout said. "I mean piles of-fresh-out-of-the—"
"Okay, we get it, Snotlout," Astrid said, shuddering at the thought.
"No need to finish that sentence." Raeda said while shuttering.
"Well that's a gross thought that I'll never get out of my head." Henry said in disgust.
"Well, I chalk it up to underdeveloped pallets." Tuffnut said. "Both human and dragon."
The two of them head-butted one another and then began to eat their own creation. Almost instantly, they regretted even putting a single gram of it in their mouths. They were practically watering in the eyes.
"You two alright there?" Hicca asked, trying to sound concern but couldn't restrain the smile on her face.
The blonde twins nodded and continued eating while the others enjoyed the they were finished they looked as if they were going to be sick.
"I need to lay down." Tuffnut said.
"Me too." Ruffnut said.
The two of them then collapsed to the ground.
Hicca then went up and checked on them as she spoke to the other riders. "They're okay. Just passed out from the salt sea-bass and will have to sleep it off." She said to the other riders.
Fishlegs pulled his blanket over his body and looked at Meatlug, who was scratching herself quite ferociously.
"It's okay, girl." Fishlegs said calmly. "It's sleep time. It's a deep sleepy time." He then raised himself against Meatlug and soon he and the other Dragon Riders fell asleep as did their dragons.
(Linebreak)
Hours later, Fishlegs awoke after suffering from a nightmare that involved him falling to his death in the jaws of a Red Death sized Meatlug.
He woke up suddenly and noticed that Meatlug was not next to him.
"Meatlug? Meaty? Where are you?" Fishlegs asked, getting up. There was no answer. "Oh, no. It's not safe out there for a Gronckle alone in the wild."
Fishlegs began to wander deep into the forest looking for Meatlug. He walked past a bush, not noticing the chewed up saddle behind it.
As he got deeper, you found that the island was not as peaceful as he would have liked. He was now feeling even more stressed and frightened than ever before.
"Quiet and serene, my butt." He quivered. "Meatlug? Here, girl. It's Daddy."
Then something drew a dash right past him spinning him around and quickly put up a fighting stance, but saw nothing.
"And I'm really scared, so it'd be great if you can come out and…" Fishlegs then found Meatlug hovering in mid-air. "Is she sleepwalking?"
His question was soon answered when Meatlug slowly spun around. "Oh, thank Thor. I'm here to take you…" He stopped when he saw her eyes were fidgety, slitted with lava dripping down her maw like she had rabies and she looked quite hungry, "home?"
Meatlug landed on the ground snarling, spitting lava everywhere.
"All right! All right!" Fishlegs cried as he slowly backed away from her. "I knew she was too tired. But I pushed her." He then began to slap himself. "Bad Fishlegs. Bad!"
He then looked to Meatlug, hoping that he could, down. "Okay, listen, girl. I promise, no more work until you've…"
Meatlug then charted him and he screamed. He quickly ran as fast as his little legs could carry him and docked every time Meatlug fired a lava blast at him.
"You know, this is really Hiccup's fault, if you think about it." Fishlegs said. "Shouldn't you be mad at him? At least Hicca is fair to let you have a break for all the hard labor you did!" Meatlug clearly didn't see it that way, because she just fired another lava blast at him. "Help! Somebody! Anybody!"
Meatlug kept on chasing him down through the forest, but eventually lost him when she reached a hollow tree trunk. She kept on sniffing and snarling and eventually flew over the tree trunk and into the forest.
After a few seconds she left, Fishlegs climbed his way out of the tree trunk. He then quickly made his way back to camp in order to warn the others about his encounter with Meatlug, but when he got there he saw the other dragons acting the same way as Meatlug.
"Everyone, wake up!" Fishlegs cried.
"Zip it, Fish Face," said Snotlout tiredly. "The sun's not even out."
Fishlegs groaned as Snotlout fell back to sleep and then looked at the dragons, who looked extremely vicious now and worst of all Meatlug had now joined them. "Oh, Thor!"
Hiccup then awoke and saw the situation. "What's going on with the dragons?"
"I have no idea," Fishlegs explained. "All I know is that Meatlug was sleepwalking and when I found her she was in a really bad mood and chased me through the forest and tried to kill me."
At once the Riders got to their feet when they saw the dragons dripping liquid fire from their mouths.
Henry looked at his dragons in concern, never seeing this kind of behavior from them, "Wildstar, if this game you and the others are playing, it's not funny." He said getting a bad feeling.
"I don't think they're playing," Hiccup told him.
"Now Sparkfire, don't look at me like that." Raeda said, not liking the crazed look in her dragon's eyes.
"Stormfly, no!" Astrid cried seeing Stormfly preparing to fire.
Stormfly and Sparkfire then fired a stream of fire at them, but fortunately they were able to hide behind some rocks before it hit.
"Something is clearly wrong with them. I've never seen anything like this." Hicca said in slight panic.
"This is all your fault." Ruffnut said as she glared at her brother.
"My fault?" Tuffnut asked as he stared at his sister.
"Yeah. That stupid salty fish. They hate us 'cause they went to bed hungry and now they're all cranky." Ruffnut told him
"That salt was properly pinched."
"Your brain is properly pinched."
The two of them then jumped at one another and began wrestling on the ground.
"No, it's not the fish," said Hiccup. "Look at their saddles." They all turned and saw the saddles laying on the ground as if they've been chewed apart. "They've been chewed off."
"Judging by how they chewed their saddles, they were desperate to get them off." Hicca noted.
"It's a revolt." Fishlegs said. "They're riding up against us!" He yelled in shock.
"Why would they do that?" Astrid asked.
Snotlout glared at Hiccup. "I don't know. Why would they?"
"You think this is my fault?" Hiccup starred in bewilderment.
"I did warn you that they'd rebel." Hicca said
Then Hookfang and Lockjaw fired two fire blasts over their heads.
"How about we discuss whose fault it is that we're safe from our crazy dragons?" Henry suggested.
The dragons then made their way towards them, but Toothless and Midnight placed themselves between them and the riders. It was clear that they were the only dragon that was not revolting and they fired plasma blasts at them, in order to scare them off.
However, they outnumbered them and slowly began to surround them.
"Toothless and Midnight are no match for all of the other dragons." Hicca pointed out in concern.
"Okay, everyone split up." Hiccup said, looking at the Riders. "If we're together, we're vulnerable."
"Got it!" Tuffnut yelled as they ran towards the forest.
Astrid and Raeda stopped when they saw that the Haddock twins weren't coming with them.
"Hiccup, Hicca, come on!" Astrid yelled.
"It seems like Toothless and Midnight are okay." Hiccup said, looking down at his dragon.
"They're the only dragons that haven't chewed off their saddles." Hicca said as she and her brother mounted on their dragons.
"We'll hold them off until you guys are clear. We'll find you." Hiccup said.
"Try to stay out of those jaws!" Hicca told them.
"Oh sure, that should be easy enough." Raeda said as both she and Astrid ran into the forest.
Meatlug then tried to blast them with a lava blast, but they were able to dodge it and Toothless fired a plasma blast at her, which she dodged. They soon found themselves surrounded by Stormfly, Sparkfire, Lockjaw, Wildstar, Sandstorm, Sandtrapper, Scout, Hookfang, Barf & Belch, and Meatlug.
"We better get out of here too, guys." Hiccup said to his sister and their dragons.
"I agree." Hicca said in agreement.
They then took off and fired plasma blasts down at them. Meatlug began to fire lava blasts at them, but they were nimble enough to dodge them and they soon landed on a rock formation.
Then Stormfly fired several spikes at them. They were able to dodge them, but Hiccup and Toothless lost their balance and fell into the lagoon.
"Hiccup! Toothless!" Hicca yelled out as she Midnight roared to her mate in concern as Henry's dragons tried to blast them but they dodge and flew high enough where the night sky made them invisible.
The dragons looked down at the water, waiting for them to come up so they could blast them. However, when they didn't come up they flew off to hunt down the other Riders.
Seconds later, both Hiccup and Toothless emerged out of the lagoon as Toothless shook off the water.
"We better find the others before the dragons do." Hiccup said.
He then quickly mounted Toothless and they flew off into the air, hoping against hope that they were able to track down the other Riders before the dragons do.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, at the Edge, Gobber was hunting down for Chicken, who had wandered off when he wasn't looking.
"Chicken! Chicken!" he cried. "Here, chicky, chicky. It's 'special time'." He began looking under the crates and benches that were lying around in the arena. "I've got a nice story to tell you about a sheep family and the igloo made of wool."
He then saw Skullcrusher sleeping peacefully nearby.
"Oh, hello, Skullcrusher," said Gobber. "Ya haven't seen Chicken, have you?"
Skullcrusher replied with a burp and several chicken bones fell out of his mouth. Gobber stared at the bones then to Skullcrusher in horror as the Rumblehorn licked his lips.
"Please, come yeh didn'," Gobber begged as Skullcrusher then rolled over and Gobber placed a hand on his head in panic. "Ya did. Ya ate Chicken. Stoick is going to lose his—"
"Gobber, are you bothering my dragon while he's eating?" Stoick asked as he made his way to Gobber.
Gobber quickly picked up the chicken bones. "Uh, yes, well, about that, chief," he said nervously.
"Leave him be. He might try to take a bite out of you if he's extra hungry," he chuckled.
Gobber quickly hit the bones behind his back and smiled nervously. He then slowly made his way past Stoick. "Wouldn't want that, would he?"
"No. We wouldn't."
Gobber then quickly made his way out of the arena, failing to notice that he dropped one of the chicken bones which Stoick noticed.
Stoick picked it up and shook his head. "Oh, Gobber. Come on. You the boy's pet?" he groaned. "And of course, I have to break the news to the lad." He then got an idea as he put the hand through his beard. "Or do I?"
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, back on the island, Hiccup and Toothless were searching for any trace of the other Riders.
"Nothing," he said. "They must have really split up. See you can pick any sounds, bud."
Toothless roared into the air and at once quickly back away when he sensed both Stormfly and Hookfang flying overhead.
"Okay, those weren't the sounds we were looking for," said Hiccup when he noticed the two dragons.
He then saw Hookfang landing on a ridge and took off seconds later with Stormfly close on his tail.
"I haven't seen them act like this since we trained them," Hiccup frowned. "They're hunting like wild dragons."
Then suddenly they heard a rustling sound behind them. "And apparently, they're still pretty good at it."
Toothless prepare to defy a plasma blast at the Bush.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold your fire!" Hicca yelled as she, Ruffnut and Midnight emerged from the bush.
"Don't shoot!" Ruffnut cried.
" Hicca! Ruff! You okay?" Hiccup asked as Toothless ceased the blast.
"Apart from being hunted by our loyal dragons, we're completely fine." Hicca said sarcastically.
"Yeah, we're anything but okay." Ruffnut added. "We're cracking under the pressure."
"Ruff, you're fine," Hiccup said. "Have you seen any of the others?" He asked them
"You said 'split up'!" Ruffnut cried.
"We haven't found anyone else ever before you found us." Hicca said. "I found Ruff after Henry's dragons forced me away from you." Hicca said.
"Okay, then—" Hiccup stopped when they heard the sound of snarling and flapping of wings. "Get down!"
Quickly they heard underneath the tree and watched as Sparkfire and Meatlug flew overhead.
"We need to find the rest of the Riders. Fast." Hiccup whispered.
"And figure out what is wrong with the dragons." Hicca added with the same whispering tone.
Ruffnut quickly mounted on Toothless with Hiccup, as they ran through the forest in the search for the others.
(Linebreak)
Fishlegs, Raeda and Tuffnut were wandering deep in the forest quietly. That's when they noticed Meatlug flying overhead.
"Meatlug! There's my Meatlug!" Fishlegs cried.
Meatlug turned towards the sound, but saw nothing except for a bit of movement in the trees. Assuming it was some sort of wild animal she flew off into the distance.
Tuffnut and Raeda had shoved Fishlegs into a bush with his hand over his mouth.
"What are you doing?" Fishlegs stared at Tuffnut when he removed his hand.
"What are you doing?" Tuffnut asked in disbelief. "Trying to get us a one-way ticket to Valhalla?"
"If Meatlug catches us you can say goodbye to your head!" Raeda told him in hushed tone.
"My dragon is still inside there, guys. I can reason with her." Fishlegs told them.
"Believe me Fishlegs, if I thought there was still some of my Sparkfire in that purple Nadder chasing I would help her." Raeda told him, "But it wouldn't matter if she tried to eat me."
"And did you see the look in their eyes? That was the look of a killer. I know this because I see it in my own reflection. Pure killer." Tuffnut then snarled at Fishlegs probably would have made him scream if he hadn't quickly placed a finger over his lips. "Shhh!"
"We just gotta keep cover until we can figure out why they're acting like this." Raeda whispered.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Astrid, Henry and Snotlout were hiding in the bushes as their dragons flew overhead.
"I never should've trusted that dragon," said Snotlout. "The way he looks at me sometimes, I know he's thinking of me as a dinner, or a light lunch, at least. I should have picked a less ferocious dragon, like a Nadder or maybe a Snifflehunch or even a..."
"Snotlout, if you don't shut up your piehole, I'm gonna leap into the open and play with them to eat us both," Astrid snapped.
"And not to mention if you keep talking, our suddenly wild crazy dragons are gonna find us faster. So zip it!" Henry added.
Then they heard the flapping of wings overhead. "Shh! I hear something," Snotlout whispered.
They looked up and saw Henry's dragons, Meatlug and Hookfang searching for them. Seconds later the three of them flew off.
"They're actually hunting us. How did it come to this?" Astrid said.
"This can't just be from all that hard work, can it?" Henry asked.
"Let's just hope Hiccup, Hicca, Midnight and Toothless get them before they get us." Snotlout said.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, back at the Edge, Gobber hobbled into the clubhouse with a chicken in his arms.
"All right, yeh're goin' to have to get used to Tuffnut's strange affection for ya,. Gobber said, placing the chicken down on the table. "He's going to squeeze yeh and hold yeh and talk to yeh and tell yeh ridiculous stories. But trust me, it's better than what my chickens have in store for them."
He then grabbed the check-in and made his way out of the clubhouse. "Now, let's go an' find some paint, so we can get yeh looking exactly right."
Seconds after Gobber left, Stoick entered, holding his own chicken in his arms. He placed the chicken onto the table and looked down at it.
"Here we go," Stoick said. "Hopefully, Tuffnut will believe this is his chicken. What am I saying? I'm the chief. I'll order him to believe it."
The chicken just clucked at him. "Hey, I'm not proud of it, but that's the plan, so stick to it." Stoick ordered the chicken.
(Linebreak)
Back on the island, It was morning and Hiccup, Hicca and Ruffnut had yet to find anyone. Then suddenly they saw Fishlegs, Raeda and Tuffnut running towards them.
"Hiccup! Run!" Tuffnut cried.
"Why? What's the matter?" Hiccup asked, though he had a pretty good idea.
"Hookfang, Scout and Sandstorm. They landed in the woods and they're coming this way!" Fishlegs cried.
Then suddenly they saw fire shooting out from the bushes.
"Oh, he certainly is!" Hiccup yelled out.
"Other way! Other way!" Hicca yelled.
They quickly turned hoping to run in the opposite direction, but then Astrid, Henry and Snotlout ran out in front of them.
"Run!" Snotlout yelled.
"Barf and Belch and Wildstar are right behind us!" Astrid yelled.
"And so are their teeth!" Henry yelled.
"We played right into their hands." Hiccup said, realizing they were surrounded.
"Technically, dragons don't have hands, so that expression doesn't—Maybe 'we fell right into their talents'?" Tuffnut suggested.
"Now, really?! You wanna correct expressions now?!" Raeda asked in disbelief.
"The point is, we're about to be…" Hiccup stopped when Hookfang, Scout, Sandstorm, Wildstar and Barf and Belch jumped out of the bushes snarling at them, "surrounded." He finished.
"We taught our dragons well." Hicca commented that their time with their dragons really gave them some skills and tactics they used in the past.
They quickly turned to the left, hoping they could escape that way. Unfortunately, Meatlug, Lockjaw and Sandtrapper soon appeared.
"Other way!" Hiccup yelled, heading to the right.
But that route was blocked by Stormfly and Sparkfire.
"Hiccup, we've run out of ways!" Hicca called out.
"Yeah, the only way we can run now is to get into trouble!" Snotlout whimpered.
The dragons slowly moved forwards forcing them to back up against one another, they were completely surrounded and there was no opening for them to escape through.
"Hiccup, Hicca, how long are we gonna wait until we make our next move?" Astrid asked.
"What next move? I'm out of next moves." Hiccup said.
"Same here." Hicca added.
"Not what we wanted to hear," Henry stated.
"Whenever we get into situations like this, the Haddocks twins run out of ideas." Raeda explained.
'And that's when the Night Furies take charge!' Midnight declared.
Then suddenly, Midnight and Toothless roared and began firing random plasma blasts. This caused the dragons to dispel creating an opening for them.
"That way!" Hiccup yelled, pointing to where Hookfang and Sandstorm stood a moment ago.
They quickly ran through the smoke, not knowing where they were heading, but knowing that their dragons would be on their tail.
Hiccup then notices a cave in the distance. "There! A cave," he yelled pointing.
"Good eye, bro!" Hicca said.
They ran into the cave and Toothless fired a plasma blast at the ceiling causing a small cave-in, trapping them inside, but keeping the dragons out. After the Haddock twins dismounted their dragons, Toothless began to scratch himself furiously.
"Hiccup, Hicca, that's not gonna hold for long," Fishlegs said, quivering. "We need to find another way out of here."
"Or else the dragons are gonna have viking chowder for dinner." Raeda added.
Hiccup then saw Snotlout glaring at him with his arms crossed. It was abundantly clear that he had something on his mind and wished to say it.
"Just say it. I know what you're thinking," Hiccup stated tiredly.
"All I'm saying is we wouldn't be in this position if your tyrannical behavior, due to your obsessive need to one-up Viggo, had not driven our poor dragons to the brink of insanity, Hiccup." Snotout said, furiously. "There, I said it."
Tuffnut just stared at him. "Wow. That was both dynamically impressive and logically sound," He said open-mouthed.
"Thank you, Tuffy," Snotlout nodded.
"You all think this was my fault?" Hiccup asked as he stared at all of them.
All of them just stood silent, even Astrid, Hicca and Raeda were unable to look him in the eye.
"Sorry, bro. But you really did push the dragons too far at the start before the trip." Hicca honestly said to her brother.
Hiccup blinked before recomposing "Okay, well, how about this?" Hiccup asked, placing his hand on his hips as Midnight turned to her mate before she started slowly backing away. "If the dragons have been driven to the brink of madness, as you say, why are Toothless and Midnight completely unaffected?"
"Great argument. That would be just as logically sound." Tuffnut said, who then looked over Hiccup's shoulder and pointed, "if it weren't for one small thing for Toothless."
Hicca turned and widened her eyes at Toothless. "Uh, Hiccup…" She said to her brother.
Hiccup slowly turned around and saw that Toothless had the same mad look in his eyes and was dripping purple liquid fire from his mouth. He went crazy just like the other dragons.
"Oh, great," Hiccup moaned.
Toothless slowly made his way towards them with a hungry and fierce look in his eyes. The Riders slowly backed away as Hiccup tried to calm his dragon while Midnight stood in front of them as she roared at her mate to snap out of it.
'Toothless, what's wrong? Snap out of it!' Midnight roared in concern, not wanting to hurt her mate as Toothless just roared at her as she flinched.
"Look at me. It's us, it's Hiccup and your mate Midnight." Hiccup said calmly. "Toothless, whatever's going on we can get through this. Just talk to me." Toothless roared and kept on pressing his advance. "Toothless, just relax."
"I don't think he's in his right mind to talk, Hiccup. And I don't think Midnight has the guts to hurt her own mate." Hicca said in worry as she pushed Hiccup back as she noticed her dragon's hesitation to hurt her own mate.
"I'm not going out this way," Tuffnut said as he tossed his helmet at Toothless and when that didn't work he threw some sort of dust straight at the Night Fury. The moment that it actually touched him, Toothless went totally wild as if he was in pain.
'Toothless!' Midnight warbled in worry as she came to her mate to see what was wrong with him.
"Whoa, what in the name of Thor was that?" Hiccup asked, staring at Tuffnut in amazement.
"That, my friend, was salt. Just a pinch," Tuffnut answered.
"Salt?" They all stared at Tuffnut in bewilderment.
"Hey, I didn't any of you stepping up, so I went with what I had. And what I had was salt." Tuffnut explained.
"And you fed us that stuff?" said Snotlout in bewilderment.
"But salt doesn't even hurt dragons. What is it making Toothless act like?" Hicca questioned.
"Yeah, I never met a dragon who hated salt." Henry added.
Then suddenly they heard a high-pitched sound that was emanating from Toothless. It was so loud that they had to cover their ears while Midnight cringed at the high-pitched noise as she tried to block it out.
"Hiccup, Hicca, it's coming from Toothless," said Fishlegs.
They all stared at the Night Fury and then something small fell off him.
'Oh, what a relief.' Toothless warbled in relief.
'Toothless!' Midnight warbled in joy as she went to her mate and nuzzled him. 'Are you okay?' She asked in concern.
'All I remember was this really bad itch that just wouldn't go away and then everything else was a complete blur.' Toothless explained.
'You went crazy like the others and nearly attacked us.' Midnight revealed as Toothless looked at her in shock. 'And I think it has something to do with that.' She added as she gestured to what came out of Toothless on the floor.
The look on the ground and saw what could only be described as winged worms with tiny legs and sharp teeth.
"Did you see that? Tuffnut starred in awed. "It jumped out of Toothless' skin. That was awesome. Quick! Put it on me!"
"Wait a minute, these are Grimoras!" Hicca called out as she recognized them.
"Of course," Fishlegs said, examining the little worms. "That's why the dragons were hunting us."
"A Grim-what-a?" Snotlout frowned.
"Grimora. It's a rare parasite that attaches itself to dragons and releases a toxin that causes them to turn wild," Hicca explained as the Grimoras scuttled away. "They're kind of like the dragon form of fleas." She added.
"But Grimora usually only live in freshwater." Fishlegs pointed out.
"The lagoon," Astrid said suddenly, realizing how those Grimoras got on their dragons. "Our dragons must have picked them out when we went swimming."
"They chewed off their saddles to get the Grimoras off of them. Not because they were rebelling." Hiccup said. He then smirked at the others. "See? And you thought I was working them too hard."
The Riders narrowed their eyes at him and even Toothless and Midnight were giving him a funny look.
"Bro, seriously?" Hicca asked her brother with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay, you're right, I was working them too hard. Point taken." Hiccup admitted as he placed a hand on Toothless' head.
"Okay, so all we need to do is find the rest of our dragons and throw salt on them." Ruffnut said.
"You know, that could work," Fishlegs said.
"Even just a little bit managed to snap Toothless out of it." Henry added after seeing the amount of salt Tuffnut threw at the Male Night Fury snapped him out of it.
"Sorry, gonna have to disagree with you there, Fishy and Hen." Tuffnut said to the two. "Out of salt. Used the last on T and then, you know, the salt-crusted sea bass, which, I might add, no one liked. Everybody likes salt now, but when it was on the sea bass… Nuh-uh." He said as he crossed his arms in annoyance.
"You do realize the difference between throwing it on our dragons and eating it, right?" Raeda asked with a raised eyebrow.
Tuffnut blinked at him and simply shrugged.
"Anyway, we're gonna have to leave them to the next best salt location." Hiccup said.
"And that's the ocean. It's the only salty enough place to get the Grimoras off our dragons." Hicca said.
"Lead them? They're trying to eat us. Did you forget that?" Snotlout asked.
"No, just to let them catch you," Hiccup told him.
"Somehow that doesn't reassure me," Raeda said.
"Well, if you have a better plan." Hicca asked, knowing that a bad plan was the only plan they had.
The Haddock twins then mounted their dragons as they faced the cave-in. "Okay, bud. Plasma blast!"
Toothless fired a plasma blast at the cave-in freeing them. Then before the smoke settled they ran for it, but when they went outside they found the dragons were nowhere to be seen.
Snotlout sighed with relief. "Thank Thor, they're gone."
They then heard a war behind them and turned to find Hookfang on the cliff side a blaze. Then soon the other dragons joined him and all of them snarled at their Riders.
"Remember the plan!" Hiccup yelled. "You'll be fine as long as you remember…" He starts when the Haddock twins see the Riders running for their lives with their dragons chasing them down, "the plan." He finished.
"I think they got the idea and they're gonna get their dragons into the sea the only way they know how." Hicca told him, confident that their friends had everything under control
(Linebreak)
Fishlegs was running as fast as he could with a pair of Pyrite stones in his arms. He was running as fast as he could towards the shoreline with Meatlug running close behind him and her teeth literally inches away from him.
"Please, don't eat me. I love you," Fishlegs begged as Meatlug kept on trying to take a bite out of him. "Oh, Thor!"
(Linebreak)
Elsewhere Astrid was also heading to the shoreline being chased by Stormfly. She eventually managed to reach the sea and jumped into the water.
"Keep coming, Stormfly!" Astrid told her dragon.
However, Stormfly, inches away from the water and simply pastes up and down trying to find a way to get to her.
"Come on in," Astrid said. She then tried throwing water at her. "Bath time. You love bath time."
Stormfly didn't seem to remember that she loved bath time.
(Linebreak)
Elsewhere, Raeda is being chased by Sparkfire as she dodges the fire and spines.
Raeda looked up at her dragon as she smirked. "That's it girl. Follow the prey." She said as she then went to the edge of the ocean as Sparkfire pounced on her, but before she could do anything, Raeda jumped and pinched her dragon under her chin, which caused her to fall asleep as she hit the ocean water. "Tag, you're it, girl." She said with a playful smile.
Raeda then sees the Grimoras coming off Sparkfire as the purple Deadly Nadder gets up as she squawks in confusion.
'What happened?' Sparkfire asked in confusion as she turned and saw Raeda running towards her as her rider hugged her. 'Raeda?' She asked in surprise.
"Glad to have you back, girl. You weren't yourself for a while there. But glad that you are okay." Raeda said in relief with a smile as Sparkfire purred at her rider's touch as she nuzzled her.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Fishlegs had reached the shore and was running as fast as his little legs could carry him. He eventually stopped and faced Meatlug, who snarled at him.
"Pyrite. It's your favorite, girl!" Fishlegs said. Meatlug just snarled and Fishlegs was forced to toss the rocks into the sea. "Go get it!"
Meatlug then jumped into the sea and Fishlegs gestured their waiting, hoping it worked. Then he saw the Grimoras shooting out of the water and Meatlug jumped back onto the shore and tackled Fishlegs to the ground and began licking his face off.
'Fishlegs!' She growled happily.
"It worked," Fishlegs cheered with relief as he hugged his dragon. "It actually worked!"
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Astrid was having trouble getting Stormfly into the sea.
"Come on, Stormfly. You love the water." Astrid said. Still Stormfly refuses to put a single talent into the water. "All right. I hate to do this girl but you're not giving me much of a choice."
Astrid then tried to stay in her blind spot and then rolled and scratched Stormfly beneath her chin. Instantly, Stormfly toppled over and fell fast asleep. The sea brushed against her scales and almost immediately the Grimoras flew off her.
Stormfly regained consciousness and looked at Astrid happily. 'Thanks Astrid.'
"There's my girl." Astrid said, giving her a hug. "Don't worry. We won't tell anyone about your soft spot. We'll just keep that between you and me."
(Linebreak)
Henry was running towards the edge of a cliff with his five dragons following close behind him.
"Come on, fellas, come and get me!" Henry called determinedly.
The five dragons then try to make a grab for him, but he simply jumps down off the cliff and into the sea with his five dragons following him.
Seconds passed and the Grimoras shot out of the water and was followed closely by Wildstar, Lockjaw, Sandstorm, Sandtrapper and Scout with Henry riding on Wildstar's back.
'Henry!' The five of them roared.
"There are my pals," said Ragnar, rubbing Wildstar's side affectionately as the other four nuzzled him too. "Let's just hope we never have to do that again."
(Linebreak)
Snotlout was hiding from Hookfang in the forest, quivering.
"Come on, remember all those great times we had burning places down together? You really want to throw all that away?" Snotlout asked if his dragon heard him.
He then heard a snarl directly behind him and turned slowly to find Hookfang behind him. Next second Hookfang fired a fire blast and nearly toasted him, if he hadn't jumped up to his feet in time.
"Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Snotlout yelled as he ran towards the cliff.
He jumped and dived towards the sea and Hookfang followed him. Hookfang did manage to travel between his jaws, but luckily they had just landed in the ocean and the Grimoras removed themselves from the dragon scales.
'Snotlout?' He released Snotlout and they flew out of the sea.
"Yes, 5000 pounds of war dragon power back in action!" Snotlout cheered as they flew around back to the island.
(Linebreak)
The twins were also running from their lives, each of them had a pair of buckets which they filled with seawater and chasing after them was Barf and Belch.
"Stop spilling the water, will ya?" Tuffnut yelled at his sister.
"Stop yelling at me, will ya!" Ruffnut shouted back.
"I'm sorry! I yell when I'm terrified! You know that!" Tuffnut retorted
"I do know that, but it doesn't make it okay!" Ruffnut yelled.
They soon entered the forest and immediately the Thorston twins started zigzagging, in order to confuse Barf and Belch. This worked as two-headed dragons twisted their necks around and knocked their heads into one another.
"Now!" Tuffnut yelled as the two of them then tossed the bucket of seawater over their heads and the Grimoras removed themselves from their scales. "See you later, you leeches." He mocked them, as they watched the Grimoras hide under a rock.
'Oh, that is so much better.' Barf growled in relief.
'Big time.' Belch agreed.
Hiccup and Hicca then arrived landing on the rock where the Grimoras were hiding.
"Good job, guys," said Hiccup.
Midnight looked down at the rocks and sniffed and almost immediately the Grimoras lept out and attached themselves to Midnight. She tried to jump away from the rock, but it was far too late for that.
'Get them off me! Get them off me!' Midnight roared out as she tried to get the Grimoras off.
'Midnight!' Toothless roared in worry for his mate.
"No, no, no, no!" Hicca cried. "We gotta get you in the Ocean." Midnight began jumping around trying to throw Hicca off of her. "Stay with me, girl."
Midnight then soared upwards into the sky and then they died in the forest hitting against the tree branches.
"Hicca!" Hiccup yelled out in concern for his sister.
"No, Midnight, the water!" Hicca yelled to her dragon.
They soon crashed to the ground, but Midnight got back up and forced Hicca off of her. Hicca rolled around on the ground and skidded to his feet at the very edge of the cliff that led down into the ocean.
She then looked at Midnight, as purple liquid fire was dripping from her mouth. "No, Midnight!"
Hicca quickly ran behind a tree just as Midnight fired a plasma blast. "Sorry girl, but this is for your own good!" Hicca shouted as she then tackled Midnight and held onto her wings as the two of them rolled off the cliff's edge and they fell into the ocean.
From the shoreline Hiccup and the others saw everything, including the explosion that had to be one of Midnight plasma blasts. They all gasped, fearing the worst and they watched the ocean hoping for any sign that they were okay.
"Come on. Come on, Hicca." Hiccup begged.
"Hicca, if you're taking your sweet time for dramatic affect." Henry warned as he looked at the ocean in worry. "You're killing us over here."
Seconds passed and then they saw Grimoras flying out of the seawater and a second later both Hicca and Midnight emerged from the sea. They all cheered with relief as Hicca and Midnight performed a loop-da-loop.
"Oh thank Thor." Hiccup said in relief as he took a breath.
"Phew." Henry said as he wiped his brow.
Hicca soon landed and the moment he dismounted Midnight, she gave the female Night Fury a hug. "Welcome back, girl." She before turning to the others, "Okay, I don't know about you guys, but I've had enough vacation time for one day." She joked.
The other Riders approached them and laughed.
(Linebreak)
Later that morning they return to the Edge, completely exhausted from their 'vacation'.
"Hookfang and I decided, no more vacation for us." Snotlout stated.
'Agreed.' Hookfang snorted.
"Yeah, I need a vacation from my vacation," Raeda laughed.
"I think a better plan would be when we need a break, we'll just be a little closer to home." Astrid suggested.
"I'm all for that," Fishlegs said.
"I agree, closer to the Edge is good." Henry added.
"Actually, the best plan would be for me to lighten up a little on my Viggo obsession." said Hiccup.
"That's a great idea, bro. Because you need some down time to not let Viggo get into your head." Hicca said in agreement.
"Trust me, my dad does that to many others he's played against his opponents in Maces and Talons." Henry pointed out.
"And Hiccup's Tyrannical behavior. Don't forget that," Snotlout added.
"Yeah, whatever you Snotty." Raeda said with a grin.
They all laughed.
Tuffnut then saw Gobber entering the stables with a chicken under his arm.
"Hey, Gobber, you decide to get one of your own?" Tuffnut said, pointing to the chicken in his arms. "Can't blame ya."
"No, this is yours. This is 'The Chicken,' himself," Gobber holding out the chicken.
"Uh, no, it's not." Tuffnut frowned.
"He's right." Stoick said, shoved Gobber away and presented his chicken. "The real Chicken is right here, isn't he? Just read a story and everything."
"That's great, Chief, but nope," said Tuffnut. "Not my chicken, either. Different chicken."
Stoick groaned. "Tuffnut, by order of the Chief of Berk, this is your chicken!" He yelled.
Tuffnut just stared at him dumbfounded and then looked down as another chicken appeared.
"Hey, Chicken!" Tuffnut said excitedly. "Come here." Chicken then jumped into his arms. "Yes, that's it. You have a good time playing with Uncle Gobber?"
Chicken just clucked.
"Of course, you did. Come on, my one and only Chicken, I'll tell you a new story." He said as he walked out of the stables, "It's got dragons and little slimy lychee things that turn into killers. It's hard to believe it all happened, but it's a true story. You're gonna love it."
Stoick and Gobber looked from Tuffnut to Chicken and then to the chickens in their hands. Once Tuffnut was out of earshot they dropped their chicken then looked at one another.
"Can't believe you tried to fake a chicken." Gobber said, shaking his head at Stoick. "You're the chief, for crying out loud."
"Me?" Stoick asked indignantly. "Yours did even look like a chicken, it looked like a rooster."
"I'm good at weapons. I'm not good at chickens." Gobber shot back.
Hiccup and Hicca looked at their father and mentor as they each gave an amusing smile to each other.
"You think they were ever like this when they were our age, bro?" Hicca asked Hiccup with a chuckle.
"Who knows sis, who knows?" Hiccup chuckled as well. as the Dragon Riders watches Stoick and Gobber argue in amusement, having something like this after what they experience on their 'vacation' really helped them forget what happened last night.