Chapter 34: To Heather or not to Heather
It was a nice peaceful day on the Edge, which was disturbed when a Terrible Terror headed straight towards the Edge, with a piece of parchment attached to its leg. Following close behind it was Snotlout and the Thorston twins.
"Come on, guys." Snotlout shouted to the blonde twins. "Are you telling me three Dragon Riders on two huge dragons can't catch one little Terrible Terror?"
"Hey! Did you happen to notice how smart this thing is?" Tuffnut retorted.
"It's way smarter than Tuffnut," Ruffnut snarked.
"Yeah! Way smarter." Tuffnut agreed, without realizing what he had agreed on.
"Yeah." Ruffnut agreed, smirking.
The Terrible Terror then soared down towards the Edge.
"There! There! It's heading for Fishlegs' hut," Snotlout pointed to the Gronkle rider's hut.
The Thorston twins jumped off Barf and Belch and skidded down the dome. Snotlout on the other hand was not so graceful and landed with thud on the ground.
The Haddock twins, Astrid, Henry and Raeda watched the whole thing transpiring as they ran past them.
"Nice to see those three training on their own." Hiccup said, proudly.
"And surprisingly, doing a good job, but Snotlout needs work." Hicca added proudly.
"Yeah, I didn't know they had it in them." Raeda agreed.
"Not really like them, though, is it?" Astrid frowned.
"I'm not sure about their training." Henry stated.
The four Vikings looked at one another for a few seconds and then chased after Snotlout and the twins.
The Terrible Terror flew towards Fishlegs' hut, where Fishlegs had just opened the door. He allowed the Terrible Terror to enter, but he didn't have enough time to prevent Snotlout and the twins from barging into his hut.
"Not so fast, secret squirrel," Tuffnut said jumping on top of Fishlegs.
By the time the Haddock twins, Henry, Astrid and Raeda arrived they saw a three-on-one wrestling match. They watched for a few seconds and then the Terrible Terror flew past them, with the parchment no longer on its leg.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey!" Hiccup yelled. "What is going on with you three? And why are you all on top of Fishlegs?"
Snotlout was biting down on Fishlegs' arm guard, Ruffnut was pinning Fishlegs' left onto the ground and Tuffnut was holding onto one of his legs.
"It's fine." Fishlegs told them. "Really."
"Ha! The Fishmeister has been getting quite the bevy of Terror mails, lately," said Tuffnut holding out the parchment.
Hiccup, Hicca, Astrid, Henry, Raeda and Fishlegs looked at one another and Snotlout and the twins removed themselves from Fishlegs.
"And since we haven't been sending them…" Snotlout continued.
"That begs the question, who is our sly little friend here, communicating on the…" Tuffnut paused when he tried to come up with a good word, "sly?"
"Uh-huh." Ruffnut said as Fishlegs picked himself up.
"And because he won't give up the name…" Snotlout continued.
"We decided to take matters into our own hands." Ruffnut said, crossing her arms.
"Okay, fine," said Fishlegs waving his hands about. "If you must know…"
"Oh, we must! We must!" Tuffnut insisted.
"Yes, yes. We must!" Ruffnut agreed.
"Guys, Fishlegs doesn't have to tell you and that he wants to," Hiccup said. "It is personal, private business."
"I completely agree with that, it's an invasion of privacy." Hicca added in agreement.
"Thank you, Hiccup, Hicca." Fishlegs smiled. He then saw the looks that everyone was giving him and sighed in defeat, he knew there was no point in denying anything. "If you must know I've been corresponding with a certain someone who has been returning my Terrible Terror mails in kind. You happy?"
Everyone stared at him.
"Wow." Hicca said in breath.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Astrid asked curiously.
"Fishy's got a girlfriend," Snotlout chanted as he and Tuffnut danced. "Fishy's got a girlfriend."
"Yeah! It's fun to make fun of people! Yeah!" Tuffnut laughed high-fiving Snotlout.
Henry and Raeda glanced at each other and nodded. While Snotlout and Tuffnut were dancing they snuck behind them, and then while the two were distracted they both stuck legs between theirs and then…
WACK!
Henry and Raeda then kicked the two mutton heads where the sun didn't shine as Tuffnut and Snotlout stiffened, squeaked and fell to their knees.
"Ooh!" The others hissed.
"Nice one." Astrid said as she smiled at the two.
"That's gotta hurt." Hiccup said as he and Fishlegs cringe at the two kneeling vikings.
Fishlegs then turned to Henry and Raeda who had satisfied smiles on their faces, "Uh, thanks?" He said with uncertainty.
"Anytime Fishlegs." Raeda said as she dusted of her hands.
"So, tell us who's your secret mailer is, Fishlegs." Henry said politely.
"Yeah, Who is she, Fishlegs?" Astrid smiled.
Snotlout was about to speak but then Raeda placed a firm grip on his shoulder, "Before you say something, take a moment and don't." She warned as Snotlout kept his mouth shut.
"Fishlegs, now I have to admit we are curious." Hiccup said as he moved his head towards Astrid.
"Okay, okay." Fishlegs said as he answered. "It's Heather." He revealed.
Everyone's mouths fell right open, even Tuffnut and Snotlout when they recovered.
"Whoa." Ruffnut breathed out.
"I have to admit, I didn't see that one coming," Henry said.
"So, wait, you're telling me that my future wife, the future Ms. Lout, heheh, who just disappeared after the whole Viggo fiasco, you knew where to find and you told exactly no one?!" Snotlout exclaimed.
"Yep, pretty much." said Fishlegs.
"Look, guys, Heather is out there on her own. She never stayed in one place. We knew we'd hear from her eventually," said Hiccup.
"Yeah, but she and I have this connection. She should have written to me." Snotlout said.
"Maybe when Speed Stingers fly." Raeda snarked.
"Fishlegs, how many of these correspondences are we talking about?" Astrid asked with a smirk.
Fishlegs didn't say a word and instead opened the chest that was full of letters. Everyone just stared at the contents.
"Whoa. Wow." Tuffnut said.
"Heather sent you a lot of letters." Hicca added in surprise.
Almost immediately they all reached in and grabbed a letter and began reading them.
"Fine. Go ahead. Read 'em all." Fishlegs said, walking off in a huff.
(Linebreak)
It was night when they finished reading the letters from Heather, and they were deeply concerned about what she had written.
"Uh, wow." Ruffnut said, staring at the letter she was reading. "Those are some depressing Terror mails. I mean I need a mace to the head just to cheer me up."
"On it!" Tuffnut yelled and swung his mace down on top of Ruffnut.
Fortunately Ruffnut caught the mace before it landed on her head and glared at her brother. "Metaphorically speaking!" She told him.
"These letters don't sound like. She seems worried and confused," Astrid frowned.
"Think about everything she's been through," Fishlegs told them. "The only family she ever knew, gone. Then being out there, alone, by herself."
"And lest not forget, or forget… finding out her brother is one Dagur the Deranged," Tuffnut added.
"I know, I've been where she's been and it's not an easy experience to live through," Henry said, having a similar experience with his family.
"Yeah. I can't say I'd feel any different in her shoes," Hiccup nodded.
"Shoe," Snotlout corrected. "Because you…" Hiccup and Hicca just narrowed their eyes at him as he began hopping around on one foot and pointing to his left leg. "Never mind."
"We get what you're saying, Snotlout. But still, Heather sounds like she needs help." Hicca said.
"Hey, Heather's risked her life to fight with us. She's helped us save countless." Fishlegs pointed out. "She's the closest thing to actually being one of us. It just seems like we should do something to help."
Hiccup rubbed his chin. "Well, hey, what about making her one of us?" he suggested. "Ask her to be a Dragon Rider."
"She can be part of us like you have, Henry." Hicca said while looking at Henry.
"I agree. One outcast to another, she'll fit right in." Henry said in agreement since she and Heather shared something in common and she and Windshear helped him out of his prison from the Hunters.
"Oh, I think asking Heather to join the Riders would be amazing," said Fishlegs excitedly. "Besides, the Nadder migration will be coming through here again and Windshear could be a huge help."
"I agree, the last thing she needs is to be alone sorting her problems out." Raeda nodded.
"Well, I think it's a terrible idea," Tuffnut said. "An awful, dreadful, unfathomable idea."
"Very funny," Astrid said sarcastically. "We're trying to have a serious conversation here."
"So am I." Tuffnut said seriously. "Look, you don't just get to be a Dragon Rider. I'm surprised you didn't know that. We've spent the last five years finding the nastiest, smelliest, most disgusting and often insane dragons out there. How many times have we almost gone and killed doing it?" He asked the others.
"There was a Screaming Death, the Whispering Death, the Red Death, all the other Deaths." Ruffnut said, counting them off her fingers. "And then there was the Deathsong, Changewings, the Skrill, the Quaken, Typoomerangs, Scauldrons, Thunderdrums, Smokebreaths, Speed Stingers, the Fireworm Queen, the Cavern Crasher and our own dragons just recently."
"Wow, we really got to work on our first impressions with dragons." Raeda commented.
"Tell me about it." Astrid said tiredly in agreement.
"So why does she get to waltz in here, all of a sudden, like she's one of us?" Tuffnut demanded. "Doesn't seem fair to me."
"And besides, who said she'd even want to be a Dragon Rider?" Ruffnut added. "You know, it's not for everyone. I, myself, have had moments of doubt."
Hiccup and Hicca pondered for a moment. "You know, Tuff's right. About all of it."
"Yeah, he's right about all we did for the past five years we've done with our dragons." Hicca said in agreement.
Tuffnut nodded proudly, but then he stared at the Haddock twins in complete bewilderment. "What?"
"Yeah, trust us. We are surprised as well." Hicca commented.
"Well, let's invite you to the Edge. Just for a couple of days," Hiccup suggested. "To hang out, see how she's doing. Maybe she helped us redirect those Nadders. But nothing permanent happens without us all agreeing." He looked at the others as he stroked Toothless' chin. "Some good?"
They all nodded.
(Linebreak)
The next day, the Riders prepare themselves for Heather's arrival. Fishlegs then came running out of his hut with a look of pure excitement on his face.
"She's here! Ho, ho!" Fishlegs yelled. "I saw her from my rock garden! Heather is here!"
(Linebreak)
From Snotlout's hut, Astrid, Raeda and Snotlout watched as Fishlegs ran off to meet Heather.
"Sorry, Snotlout," Astrid said with fake sympathy. "Looks like the future Mrs. Lout might end up being the future Mrs. Legs."
"She's here!" Fishlegs' voice yelled.
"Guess we're gonna have to start calling her Heather Ingerman soon." Raeda said with a grin.
"Please! Fishface?" Snotlout said dismissively. Astrid and Raeda just shrugged. "So you're saying, she would choose bookworm, gronkle-loving Fishlegs over a real Viking? Why would you even think that?" He asked.
"She told me, last time she was here," said Astrid smirking and she began to walk away. "Mention Fishlegs by name."
"Astrid told me and Hicca when we had that girl talk before when she was here. Which kinda surprised me and Hicca like it did with Astrid." Raeda added with a smirk as she walked off after Astrid
Snotlout just stared at them in shock before scowling, "Shut up, Astrid. Shut up, Rae." He grumbled.
(Linebreak)
Heather soon landed at the stables where she was met by the Haddock and Thorston twins as Midnight and Toothless quickly ran up to greet Windsheer, but she wasn't as enthusiastic as she snarled at the two Night Furies. Toothless backed off while Midnight gave her a growl back.
Heather grabbed several satchels from her saddle and made her way over to Hiccup and Hicca.
"Hi, you.." Hiccup said. "We thought you could use a couple of days to rest up."
"After everything the two of you have been through, you earned it." Hicca added.
"Thanks, guys. I really appreciate this." Heather said gratefully.
Then Fishlegs ran up to them, panting after running all the way to the stables.
"Fishlegs!" Heather smiled as the Ingerman boy smiled and waved after catching his breath. "Thank you so much for the letters."
Fishlegs just looked away shyly with a small smile.
"Hey! We should sing the Dragon's Edge welcome song." Tuffnut suggested.
"Tuff, we don't have a Dragon's Edge welcome song." Hiccup said.
"Why would you think we'd even have one?" Hicca asked.
"Because It's very catchy." Tuffnut reasoned. "I perform it in several keys and there's a sort of dance that I do along with it."
"Yeah." Astrid said skeptically as she arrived. "I think Heather would rather set her gear down and get settled."
"Astrid!" said Heather as the two girls had one another. Once they broke apart Heather looked at Tuffnut. "I'd love to hear your song later, Tuff."
"Good. Oh, Heather, you're gonna love it," said Tuffnut. "And now I have time to warm up."
He then began to babble inconsistently.
"Good idea," Heather said as she and Astrid left.
(Linebreak)
Astrid took Heather to her hut, where she had prepared a bed for her and organized a place for her stuff.
"You know, you could've come back with us in the first place after you dropped Henry off." Astrid said, handing Heather her twin bladed axe. "You just disappeared. We didn't know what happened to you."
"And I feel terrible about that." Heather said apologetically. "But I knew you guys would just try to get me to stay. Sometimes you need to be by yourself to figure things out."
"Your letters to Fishlegs seem like you were struggling with a lot." Astrid said.
Heather stared at her in surprise. "You read those?" She asked.
"We were all worried about you," Astrid quickly explained. "We wanted to know what was going on."
"It was weird." Heather said uneasily. "All that time with Dagur, we were playing a part. I didn't have a minute to think about the fact that he is actually my brother."
"Maybe you shouldn't think about it then," Astrid suggested.
"I have to, Astrid. What if I have the Berserker insanity inside me?" said Heather fearfully. "What if, deep down, I'm just like him?"
"Heather, from what Henry told us, he went through the same thing when he left the Dragon Hunters," Astrid said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't easy for him either, but he soon accepted that he wasn't anything like Viggo just like you are nothing like Dagur. Look, if you were, we would have dropped you in a volcano a long time ago." She joked.
Heather chuckled. "So, let's talk about something less depressing." She then tossed Astrid her axe. "How about Hiccup?" She teased.
"What about him?" Astrid asked innocently.
"Astrid, life is too short. You need to express your feelings." Heather encouraged her. "Stop wasting time. You two are perfect."
"And I could say the same to you about a certain pen pal," Astrid smirked, tossing back her axe to her. "You have practically worn out our flocks of Terrible Terrors."
"No idea what you're talking about." Heather said innocently.
The two girls laughed.
"What about Raeda and Hicca, do they have an eye for certain boys yet?" Heather asked curiously.
Astrid was about to speak, but stopped as she couldn't seem to find the right words. "Actually, they haven't shown anything for anyone yet, but." She started before she gestured outside. They walked out and Astrid pointed, "I have my suspicions."
Down below, they saw Hicca and Henry talking to each other while smiling and walking.
Heather gave a small laugh at them as they saw them walk out of sight while heading over to train their dragons. "So Hicca and Henry?" She asked with a grin.
"Those two have been getting along ever since Henry showed up." Astrid said with a grin as well. "Hicca helped out his dragon Lockjaw when he was sick and Henry saved her and Midnight's life when we fought the hunters and again during the 'Viggo Fasco' before you and him got captured."
"Well, I think those two go together perfectly," Heather commented, "So what about Raeda?"
"Well, Raeda's been the only one of us not interested in love so far, but I have noticed that she and a certain Muttonhead have been getting along." Astrid said as she pointed to Raeda who was racing Snotlout on their dragons.
Heather blinked and looked at them, "Wait, so you think…?" She trailed off.
Astrid just laughed at the idea, "What, Raeda and Snotlout? As if." She said, "She's probably just been keeping him on a leash." She suggested.
Heather gave a chuckle. "That makes sense. Knowing Snotlout, he can cause trouble so I guess Raeda's been making sure it's kept at a minimum." She said with a small smile.
"Knowing Raeda, she's doing a better job at it then Hiccup and Hicca could keep their cousin in line." Astrid said with a small chuckle as the two girls laughed at each other.
(Linebreak)
Later that night, the Riders made their way to the clubhouse for dinner. When they get there they will be welcomed by a tasty smell.
"Oh, my Thor, what is that smell?" Snotlout asks, sniffing the air.
"Dinner." Heather answered, who was placing a few plates of food on the table. "I was hungry. I figured you guys were, too."
Almost instantly all the Riders took a chop that was lying on a plate. Tuffnut was about to take a bite out of his chop, but then saw Chicken at his feet clucking.
"Uh… this isn't chicken, right?" Tuffnut asked Heather nervously. "'Cause I don't do chicken. Everyone knows that."
"Those are yak chops." Heather assured him with a grin. "The other, other white meat."
"Great. I'd never do chick—"Tuffnut stopped when he looked down at Chicken. "I don't eat—"
Chicken then one off clucking, as if she made her point.
"I'm in. Who's hogging the gravy?" Tuffnut asked.
Hiccup turned and saw wild Nadders flying overhead.
"Uh, gang, sorry to tell you, but we've got more Nadders incoming." Hiccup said.
"Looks like the migration is starting sooner than we thought." Hicca added.
"Oh, come on. Now?" Snotlout groaned.
"Nadders?" Heather frowned.
"The yearly Nadder migration takes them through the worst of Dragon Hunter territory," Astrid explained. "We've been herding them away and diverting them to a different route."
"It takes them longer to get to the migratory home, but it leaves them to actually arrive safely," Fishlegs said.
"And granted, we have been through many dragon migrations on the Edge before, and believe us that the Fireworm thing was not a great experience, for a number of reasons." Raeda commented as she scowled at the Thorston Twins.
"Hey, we said we're sorry for the banning art thing and agreed to clean your hut for the next two weeks for you." Ruffnut retorted.
Hiccup then looked at Heather. "Heather, you and Windshear could come with us," he suggested. "We can surely use the help."
Meatlug made her way inside the clubhouse, but Windshear just snarled at her.
"Windshear is still tired from the long trip." Heather said, apologetically. "We'll only slow you guys down."
"Maybe Meatlug and I should stay behind and keep Heather company," Fishlegs suggested while twiddling his fingers.
"Hey, I keep Heather company." Snotlout said. "Everyone says that I'm a great company-keeper."
"Who has ever said that?" Astrid enquired with a raised eyebrow.
"You don't know everybody. Shut up, Astrid." Snotlout snapped.
"Come on, muttonhead." Raeda said as she grabbed Snotlout by the ear as she dragged him away.
"Ow! Ow! Okay! Okay! I'm going!" Snotlout said as he was dragged off while cringing as Raeda kept a firm hold to his ear.
Despite his protests Snotlout soon joined the other riders as they flew towards the Deadly Nadders. This left Heather and Fishlegs alone in the clubhouse. The two of them looked at one another slightly uneasily while Fishlegs ate a piece of meat.
"So…" said Fishlegs awkwardly, "How about a tour of the Edge? I was a guide back on Berk, you know." He said with a smile.
"Wow, that's impressive." Heather said with a smile. "Lead the way."
"And lead the way, I shall," Fishlegs said, holding out his arm.
Heather coiled her arm through his arm and they began walking around the Edge. He first showed the zip-line.
"This is a zip-line system." Fishlegs said. "It makes it very convenient to get from the top of the Edge down here."
"Should we try it out?" Heather asked.
"Uh… Hanging from a rope while hurtling through the air in the dark is not really my thing." Fishlegs said with a sheepish smile. "Besides, lots to see and not a lot of time to see it."
"Whatever you think," Heather said with a smile. "I'm all yours."
They soon reached a clearing near the edge of the Edge.
"Okay, so this is the place I picked out to build your hut." Fishlegs said. "I'm not sure if you know this, but Astrid can get a little bossy. You'll probably want your own place."
"I'm not sure we want to build anything permanent quite yet," Heather said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But, if I end up staying, you picked out a nice place for me."
Two of them smiled and their faces began to draw close to one another and the lips were almost touching, but they quickly pulled away when they heard the sound of a dragon roaring.
"Windshear," Heather gasped. "That's Windshear!"
They quickly made their way towards the stables and when they entered they found both Meatlug and Windshear snarling at one another.
"No! Meatlug!" Fishlegs yelled.
The two of them quickly ran towards their dragons and held them back from one another, which was not easy.
"No! Windshear, no!" Heather cried.
It was at that point that the writer soon returned and they saw Fishlegs and Heather holding back their dragons from one another.
"Whoa. What's happening here?" Astrid asked. "Why are these two fighting?"
"We heard the roar when we guided the Nadders from the Edge." Henry added.
"I don't know," said Fishlegs. "Meatlug loves all dragons. She gets that from me."
Meatlug freed himself from Fishlegs and began to advance towards Windshear. "Meatlug, no!"
"Wow. Never thought I'd see our calming Meatlug turn into a green monster," said Tuffnut as he entered.
"What does that even mean?" Astrid asked.
"Uh, she's jealous," Tuffnut said, in an obvious voice. "Is that not obvious to everyone else? Green with envy? Huh?"
"Oh, please," said Snotlout. "That's ridiculous. Why would she be jealous? It's not like you two are…"
"Shut up, Snotlout!" Raeda shouted in his ear.
"Ow! Really?!" Snotlout yelled out as he rubbed his ear from Raeda's shout.
"And didn't you see Meatlug's face when we were reading those Terror mails?" Tuffnut reminded him. "That, my friend, was the face of a woman scorned." He said.
"Maybe it's Windshear," Heather suggested. "I knew this wasn't such a good idea."
"Uh… what wasn't a good idea?" Hiccup asked as he and his sister, along with Toothless and Midnight, entered.
"What is going on, guys?" Hicca asked in confusion.
"Meatlug just went after Windshear," said Fishlegs.
"And it was awesome. I mean…" Tuffnut then chuckled.
"But, is Meatlug okay? Can she fly?" Hiccup asked.
"Yeah, she's fine. Why?" Fishlegs asked.
"We're gonna need every dragon in the air now." Hicca told him.
"Let me guess. More Nadder?" said Snotlout facepalming himself.
"Heather, we could use you," Hiccup said as he approached. "This is a big herd that's coming in."
"I don't think that Windshear can—" Heather
"Windshear will be fine," Hiccup assured. "We'll keep an eye on her."
"We'll make sure she stays out of trouble." Hicca assured as well.
Heather looked at the Haddock twins and Windshear while feeling unsure about this.
(Linebreak)
The next morning, the Riders and Heather were flying over the ocean chasing down hundreds of Deadly Nadders.
"Okay, guys, tight formation." Hiccup called.
"Hiccup, let me and Raeda take the lead on this," Astrid said. "They're more likely to follow one of their own."
"Good call, Astrid." Hiccup nodded. "Let's take up our flanking positions and make sure there are no stragglers that break the herd."
"We don't want any of the flock to be lost while the rest leaves them behind." Hicca added.
They all then flew in different directions around the Deadly Nadder, so that they could follow the route they wanted them to follow.
"Comin' in hot!" Snotlout yelled as he pulled in close towards a Deadly Nadder. "Blowin' out snot!"
Fishlegs and Heather flew on opposite sides of each other to box the Deadly Nadders in so they would be more willing to fly in a straight line. Then all of a sudden one of the Deadly Nadders snarled at Windshear.
"Easy, girl," said Heather calmly. "You're fine."
Then suddenly three Deadly Nadders flew over Hiccup's head.
"Guys! Small backbreaking off. Get them back!" Hiccup yelled.
The twins soared forward just opposite of Windshear, but she took it as a threat. She then fired several metal spikes at the twins which thankfully struck Tuffnut's helmets.
"Heather!" Hiccup yelled.
"What's wrong!?" Hicca called out.
"Something's wrong with her," Heather called out. She then flew down towards the twins looking at Tuffnut apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Tuff. I don't know what's.."
"I guess that throws your green monster theory out of the window." Snotlout chuckled before a spineshot passed over his head. "Whoa! Hey!" He yelled from behind as he saw Raeda looking innocently to herself while Sparkfire just gave a laugh-like squawk.
"Wow, I wonder which Nadder that came from?" Raeda asked in faux-curiosity.
"Hiccup, Hicca, we're not doing you guys any good here," said Heather looking down at Windshear with a concerned look.
"Heather, it's fine. Sometimes the dragons just got a little skittish." Astrid assured.
"No, I've seen her skittish. That's not what this is." Heather said with a concerned look. "I'll see you guys back at the Edge. I have to figure out what's wrong with my dragon."
They watch as Heather turns back flying back towards the Edge.
Hiccup sighed, this was not going as well as he had hoped. He then looked at the other Riders. "Okay, guys, Nadders first, then we deal with Windshear." He then looked at the twins. "Ruff, Tuff!"
"Please say 'Wall of fire'. Please say 'Wall of fire'." Tuffnut begged.
"Wall of fire!" Hiccup ordered.
The Thorston twins cheered enthusiastically and flew in front of the matter. As they flew past the Deadly Nadders, Barf unleashed his gas and Belch ignited it creating a wall of fire. The three Deadly Nadder quickly turned back around and joined the others.
"Good job, gang," said Hiccup. "Now let's get them back on course where they'll be safe."
"And sooner we do, we'll get back to the Edge and help Heather find out what's wrong with Windshear." Hicca added as she and her brother flew off.
(Linebreak)
Heather and Windshear were at the dome waiting for the others to return. She then noticed the Haddock twins, Midnight and Toothless landing in front of her.
"There you are." Hicca said as she got off of Midnight.
"So, uh, how's she doing?" Hiccup asked as he dismounted Toothless.
"Better," said Heather.
The Haddock twins watched as Windshear greeted Toothless and Midnight much more friendly now. "She seems better." Hicca noted.
"I just wish I knew what happened." Heather said
"Look, we've flown hundreds of missions. This was Windshear's first one," said Hiccup. "You should've seen Snotlout when we first started. He couldn't fly ten feet without somehow setting himself on fire."
"Which is not surprising since he somehow keeps setting himself on fire more times than we can count." Hicca said with a chuckle.
Then as if he was summoned by Odin himself, Snotlout flew over their heads. "Did I hear my name?" Snotulout asked with a cocky smile. "Were you guys talking about me? I know you were." He then looked down at Heather. "I'm gonna be in my hut. I've got a great view. Come check it out."
They then watched him fly off and Hookfang suddenly ignited, making Snotlout scream in panic. "Hookfang!" Snotlout cried out.
"I rest my case." Hicca said with a small laugh.
Hiccup shook his head and looked back at Heather. "We just need to get Windshear some training. Start with simple flying drills, formations. Get her used to what it's like to work with other dragons."
"It takes time for dragons to settle in new areas and get used to other dragons." Hicca added.
"I don't know." Heather frowned unsurely. "I think I just need to keep away from other dragons while we're here."
"Well, now, that's gonna be kind of tough if you become a Dragon Rider." Hiccup smiled, right before Hicca elbowed her brother in the side. "Ow!" He yelped in pain.
Heather's eyes widened as she turned to face the Haddock twins. "What? Why would I become…"
"Yeah that's half the reason we invited you here." Hicca honestly said.
"Heather, we really think you have what it takes to be part of our team," Hiccup told her, "Just let us work with you guys."
Heather didn't look convinced and Hiccup and Hicca knew instantly that this was going to be a challenge.
(Linebreak)
Later that day, the clouds got thicker and dull, but that didn't stop them from flying through them. Hiccup and Hicca were determined to help Heather and Windshear, they knew how much it would mean to Fishlegs if she stayed.
As they flew it started to seem like it was working, Windshear was flying calmly without any agitation.
"You see? Nothing to it," Hiccup smiled. "Let's try a good old-fashioned Wingman formation. "
"Hiccup, Toothless, Midnight and I are gonna slow down and play the part of Windshear's wingman." Hicca spoke next with a smile. "We're here for cover, if anything comes up beside you or behind you." She instructed.
Toothless and Midnight then pulled back until they were behind Windshear, Hiccup and Hicca then gave Heather the thumbs up. "Hey!" Hiccup called out.
"How's it going?" Hicca asked playfully.
Heather then laughed.
"Not bad at all," Hiccup complimented. "All right, your turn. You and Windshear take our wing."
Windshear pulled back, but when she was level with Toothless she began to fidget.
"Pull back harder," Hiccup told Heather.
Heather struggled to pull Windshear back, it was like she was fighting against. "I am. Believe me," she grunted.
Windshear then zoomed into the clouds and seconds later Toothless began to follow, thinking this was a race.
"Toothless, no!" Hiccup yelled.
"What is Toothless doing?" Hicca questioned.
Midnight raised an eyebrow at where Toothless is. 'That Fury can surely take race seriously.' She warbled with rolled eyes.
The two dragons were now racing each other as if they were competing on who was the fastest. When the two of them were neck and neck and inches from each other, Windshear slammed into Toothless causing Hiccup to be thrown off of him.
"Hiccup!" Heather screamed. "Windshear, down." She ordered.
Windshear soared downwards towards Hiccup, who was screaming. They managed to catch him and they began looking around for Toothless.
"Toothless! Where's Toothless?" Hiccup asked.
Hicca and Midnight then came next to them as Midnight frantically looked around for her mate. "You okay, bro?" Hicca asked in concern.
"I am, but I don't see Toothless." Hiccup said in concern.
They looked down and saw the Night Fury falling towards the ocean.
"I have to get him." Hiccup said, standing up.
Heather stared at him as if he was crazy. "Uh, Hiccup, where are you…" Hiccup then jumped and dived towards Toothless, "going?"
Hicca facepalm herself as she shook her head. "Why am I not surprised?" She asked in a non-surprising tone while Midnight placed a paw on her face.
Heather then looks at Hicca. "Does he do this often?" She asked in curiosity.
"I could tell you stories, Heather." Hicca revealed as she watched her Hiccup jump.
The girls just stared at Hiccup, but then they saw him bring out his wings he glided towards Toothless. Realizing he would be to get there in time, he was forced to freefall towards his Dragon and managed to wrap himself around his back. Quickly he placed his leg in the store and opened the tailfin and they quickly pulled out of the dive just before they hit the water.
"Come on, bud," said Hiccup. "You gotta help me out here. Be the bigger dragon."
Toothless just snorted ,'It's her not me.'
"I keep forgetting you have the Dragon Fly II, bro." Hicca muttered.
"Well, it pays of everytime, sis." Hiccup pointed out.
(Linebreak)
Soon they returned to the Edge, just before the rain burst from the clouds. The rain did not bode well, but Hiccup and Hicca were not giving up on Heather or Windshear.
"Okay, so that didn't go quite as planned, but we promised that tomorrow—"
"There's not gonna be a tomorrow," said Heather.
"What? You're giving up already?" Hicca asked in surprise.
"Oh. Heather—"
"Clearly, this was a mistake. We just don't fit in here."
Hiccup frowned at her. "What are you talking about? You fit in great." He then took a deep breath. "Besides, do you really want to do that to Fishlegs?"
"Yeah. That could really hurt him if you leave." Hicca added.
"No, of course not. But it's obvious that Windshear can't work with the other dragons and someone is gonna get hurt. I knew this wouldn't work." Heather sighed and looked at Windshear. "It's just better if we go."
Hiccup and Hicca just stood there, they had no idea how to convince her otherwise. It looks sure that Heather was surely going to leave them.
(Linebreak)
Once the rain had stopped, Heather was about to set off with Windshear at the stables. Then Fishlegs came sprinting out of nowhere, panting out of breath as Meatlug came out from behind him.
"Hey, Heather." Fishlegs said with a tired smile as he waved while catching his breath.
"Oh. Are you okay?" Heather asked in surprise after seeing Fishlegs out of breath.
"Fine." Fishlegs said as he inhaled deeply. "Just gonna take a knee for a second." He said as he caught his breath.
"Okay. Just breathe." Heather said as she placed a hand on Fishlegs' shoulder.
"I'm fine." Fishlegs said as he finally caught his breath as he looked at Heather. "You can't leave." He said.
"Fishlegs, I wish I had a choice." Heather said apologetically.
"But you do have a choice." Fishlegs reasoned. "You can choose not to go. See how easy that was?" He asked with a small smile.
"Windshear doesn't belong with other dragons." Heather said, hugging Windshear. "And no matter how much I love being on Dragon's Edge, I'm not gonna choose all of you over her."
"But you haven't even given it a chance," Fishlegs pointed out as he gave her a smile. "Hiccup and Hicca are the best dragon trainers there are. I've seen them do things I never thought were possible. You have to give them a chance. I mean, when Snotlout first started out, you should've seen him. He was on fire. And not in a good way."
Again as if the gods themselves had sent him, Snotlout appeared at the mention of his name on top of Hookfang.
"Did I hear my name?" Snotlout asked. "Are you guys talking about me? I know you were." He then looked down at Heather. "I'll be in my hut if you need me. It's got a great view. Come check it out."
He then flew off and again they heard the sound of Snotlout screaming as Hookfang ignited himself, again. "Whoa! Hookfang!" He cried out.
Heather then turned her eyes upon Fishlegs. "I appreciate everything you've done for me. Really, I do. I just can't take the risk."
"Okay. I wasn't gonna say this, but here it goes." Fishlegs said, taking a deep breath. "I don't want to go back to being long-distance Terror mail pals. I want you here." He confessed.
Heather then took his hand and looked at him in the eyes. "And I feel the same way. Believe me. But Windshear has spent her whole life with me. Protecting me, and watching over me. That's all she knows how to do. I'm sorry, Fishlegs."
Fishlegs eyes widened as he remembered when something similar to this happened with Hookfang and Stormfly. "You're right. She has. Windshear was just trying to protect you." He then grabbed her arms. "That makes perfect sense."
"I know. "Heather said, unable to look him in the eye. "I wish it were different."
"Maybe it doesn't have to be." Fishlegs said as he made his way over to Meatlug. "Okay, girl. Let's get to work."
Heather just looked at him confused. "Fishlegs, where—"
"I have an idea," Flishlegs told her, mounting Meatlug. "I'll never ask you again, but please, just this once, trust me, Heather."
Heather looked at him and then to Windshear, she then looked back at Fishlegs and smiled.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, the other Riders were still busy with the Deadly Nadder migration.
"On it." Astrid said, as she flew down to lead the Deadly Nadders.
"Hey, where's Fishlegs?" Snotlout asked, noticing a missing Gronckle. "Isn't this the second time this week he's missed all the super-fun Nadder herding?"
"He's saying goodbye to Heather." Astrid said.
"You know how close those two are." Hicca added.
"This is way harder for him than his for the rest of us," said Hiccup. "So cut him some slack."
"I'm just saying we could use the help." Snotlout reasoned.
"Yeah. Especially with that dragon ship coming towards us." Tuffnut said.
They turned and saw that indeed a Dragon Hunter ship was heading straight towards them.
"Great." Hiccup moaned.
"Talk about bad timing." Hicca moaned.
"They must have figured out what we we're doing with the Nadders, and decided the head is off." Astrid guessed.
"Gotta give this to father, he sure knows how to pick his moments." Henry commented.
"Let's not panic. We can handle this." Hicca said.
"Yeah. It's only one ship. We'll take care of them, no problem." Hiccup assured.
"Uh, I hate to keep bringing down the room, or the, you know, outside, but that isn't exactly the case." said Tuffnut pointing down.
They turned again and saw three more Dragon Hunter ships sailing towards them.
"You gotta be kidding me." Hicca muttered.
"What do you expect from the Hunters? That they send one ship to handle 8 Dragon Riders and their 12 dragons?!" Henry called out.
"He's got a point. We should've known better!" Raeda called out in agreement.
"Okay. Guys, let's get above the clouds. We need to regroup." Hiccup said to the riders.
They quickly flew upwards into the sky, but then one of the ships launched a chain cannon. The chain wrapped itself around Hookfang's legs and began to bring him down towards them.
"Hookfang!" Snotlout yelled to his dragon. "Come on, Hookie. It's just a little rope."
Hookfang tried to free himself by blasting the chain with his fire, but it had no effect.
"That's not just the rope," said Astrid flying close by. "It looks like it's made of reinforced steel or iron."
"That's what I said!" Snotlout yelled, panicking. "Come on, Hookie. It's just a little rope made out of some kind of reinforced steel or iron."
That's when they noticed that Fishlegs and Heather were flying towards them. However, they were not riding their normal dragons; they had swapped dragons.
Snotlout stared at them. "Wait, is that—"
Hiccup was also starring. "Fishlegs riding—"
"Windshear! What are they doing?" Astrid stared in shock.
"Doesn't matter." Hiccup said, though we had to admit he was curious himself. "Right now I'm just thankful they decided to show up."
"Same here. And perfect timing too." Hicca added.
Fishlegs looked at Heather. "Heather, go in closer. I'll stay right behind you on Windshear."
"But what if—"
"She'll be fine," Fishlegs assured. "As long as she's near you, she'll protect you, just like you said. It doesn't matter what dragon you're on."
Heather then flew down towards one of the ships and Meatlud sent a stream of lava down upon one of the ships. A Hunter quickly turned the chain cannon onto her, but add up your instinct Windshear soared down towards the ship and fired several metal spikes at the cannon. This caused the Hunter to misfire and the chain soared right past Heather.
Windshear then began slicing the ropes from this mast and then blasted the ship causing a massive explosion.
"Ha, ha! Well done, Fishlegs!" Hiccup cheered, realizing what Fishlegs had done. "Switching dragons was the trick. Now even if that other dragons around, Windshear's gonna do what comes naturally."
"Protect Heather." Astrid gasped.
"Just like how you and Snotlout switched dragons when we first discovered dragon roots on Mildew's old cabbage farm." Hicca recounted. "As long as you two were on the other dragon, Hookfang and Stormfly were focused on making sure you two were safe."
"Exactly." Hiccup confirmed.
"What a brilliant idea, I have to write this down." Fishlegs said.
"That's my girl, Windshear." Heather said as she flew past Fishlegs and Windshear.
"Okay, let's rescue Snotlout," Fishlegs joked. "You'll get used to this, Heather."
They then flew down to the ship that had Snotlout trapped and Windshear blasted the ship destroying the cannon. This freed Hookfang and they flew away to safety.
A Hunter grabbed another chain cannon and aimed towards Heather, he fired. However, out of nowhere Windshear grabbed it with her teeth and began to soar upwards, taking the cannon along with her.
"Guys, look out!" Hiccup yelled.
"Get clear!" Hicca yelled next.
Fishlegs and Heather turned to find other Hunters had fired a net at them. However, Hiccup came flying down and blasted it with a plasma blast.
"Yeah, baby!" Hiccup cheered. He then flew alongside Heather. "Dragon Riders, let's clear this mess up, once and for all."
"Riders, give 'em everything you got!" Hicca yelled out.
The Riders then began to blast the ships left and right until they were set aflame. With every shot they fired the more excited the Riders got and eventually they returned to the Deadly Nadder flock, so they could carry on with their migration and left the burning shift behind.
(Linebreak)
Later that evening at the Edge, the Riders were enjoying more of Heather's cooking.
"Okay, I have to know." Fishlegs said while looking at Heather. "Is this a farewell dinner or a welcome to the team dinner?"
"Either way, I cannot go back to eating regular food after…" Tuffnut said, looking at his chop, with his mouth still full. He then gulped down his food, "these delicious chops."
"It's not a goodbye dinner, Fishlegs." Heather smiled. "I'm staying."
"Phew." Fishlegs sighs in relief with a smile.
"I thank you. And my palate thanks you as well." Tuffnut said.
"Gotta say Heather, you and Windshear really saved our yaks back there." Henry commented as he leaned back on his chair.
"You know, Fishlegs really deserves all the credit," Heather said, gesturing to Fishlegs.
"Stop, you. You're embarrassing me.," Fishlegs said awkwardly while looking shy.
Snotlout laughed dryly. "Yeah. Stop. Fishface. What in the name of Thor could he have possibly done that couldn't do?"
"If Fishlegs hadn't figured out how to integrate Windshear into our pack—" Hiccup said, feeding both Toothless and Windshear some fish.
"Yeah, we're back to eating Ruffnut's cooking," Tuffnut nodded. Ruffnut then flew it and shot straight at him, but he caught it and saluted her. "I'll take that." He then began to speak in an unknown language.
"AND, Heather probably wouldn't finally have the confidence to join our team." Raeda added with an eye roll.
"And she doesn't have to be alone anymore." Hicca added as she feeds Midnight some food.
"Blah, blah, blah. Whatever," said Snotlout.
"More yak chops, Snotlout?" Heather asked, holding out the plate.
"Yes, please!" Snotlout said, taking the plate. "And can I get some more of those green thingies? They're amazing."
"Beans, Snotlout. They're called beans," said Astrid.
"Beans." Snotlout said, blissfully.
Then suddenly out of nowhere a Terrible Terror appeared with a roll of parchment in its claws. It then dropped the parchment right in front of Hiccup and then flew out the clubhouse door. Everyone turned to Heather, who looked just as perplexed as they were.
"I didn't send it," Heather insisted.
Hiccup unrolled the scroll and began to read it and automatically his face turned grim.
"What is it? Are you okay?" Astrid asked worriedly.
"Hiccup, what does it say?" Hicca asked her brother in concern. Hiccup shows her the letter and her eyes widen, "Oh." She said in breath.
"Um, what does 'oh' mean?" Raeda asked.
"It's from Dagur." Hiccup said as he and Hicca looked up at Heather. "He's been looking everywhere for his sister. And he wants our help in finding her."
"Well, that shouldn't take long," Tuffnut said, pointing to Heather. "She's right there."
"I knew he would come looking for me." Heather.
"Well, maybe that's not such a bad thing," said Hiccup, who remembered how Dagur saved him and Hicca from the Hunters a few weeks ago. He then noticed Heather's face. "Or maybe it is. Look, Heather, you're one of us now. A Dragon Rider. If you're not ready to be found, we'll make sure you won't be."
"Still, you know Dagur, once his mind sets on something, there's no stopping him." Hicca added, knowing that even Dagur saved them, she wasn't sure if Dagur wanted to find Heather for a good reason, "So if or when he comes for you, he'll have to get past us."
Heather just simply sighed uncertainty. It would appear after solving one problem another one presented itself in front of her and she wasn't quite sure what course to take to solve this particular problem.