Chapter 51: Blindsided
The Haddock twins and Astrid were in the forest as they were attempting to train Sleuther. Astrid was on top of Stormfly while Hiccup had ignited Inferno while Hicca had her Inferno as well while also holding her battle staff.
But training a Triple Strike wasn't as easy as they thought, "Look out!" Hiccup yelled as Sleuthert somersaulted towards them and plunged his stingers into the ground in front of them. He then looked at them and growled angrily. 'I'm not fighting for humans ever again!' Sleuther told them.
Toothless and Stormfly moved in to protect the Riders as the male Night Fury Toothless was preparing to fire plasma blast.
But then Midnight jumped in front of him, 'Toothless no! He's not our enemy, remember?' She warbled.
"Easy, bud. we're trying to train Sleuther, remember?" Hicca eased the male Night Fury.
"How are we supposed to train him if we can't get close to him?" Astrid asked.
"It's never easy since we brought him to the Edge sometime back. And we gave him some space for some time to enjoy his freedom, but now we need to train him, which is not easy as it looks." Hicca stated that since Sleuther has been on the Edge, he's having a hard time listening to them to train him.
"Well, you can't blame him. The last humans he dealt with forced him to find other dragons to the death," Hiccup reminded them.
"Guys, maybe we should make room for the possibility that Sluether is untrainable." Astrid suggested.
"We're making progress." Hiccup said.
"So far, Sleuther has been trying to impale us with his stingers." Hicca pointed out. "If he really wanted to fight us, he would've blasted us by now." She added.
"Yes, now if we can just find a way to get this guy on board, have him fighting with us instead of against us." said Hiccup.
'I said NO!' Sleuther roared at them while snapping his pincers at them as approached.
"Stormfly! Spine Shot!" Astrid ordered as Stormfly then flicked her tail, firing several spikes at Sleuther's feet stopping him.
"Look, we've dealt with way worse," Hiccup told her.
"Snotlout doesn't count." Astrid said sarcastically.
Hicca gave a chuckle from that. "That is so true." She said with a small smile.
"Good one, Astrid. we'll have to remember that." Fishlegs' voice said.
"Another Jorgenson joke for the pile." Henry said with a small smile in amusement.
They looked up and saw Fishlegs and Henry flying down towards them.
"Fishlegs! Henry!" Astrid called out. "What brings you two to the Valley of Pain?" Astrid asked.
"Snotlout, Raeda and the Thorston twins just got back from patrol, and there are multiple storm fronts heading right for us." Fishlegs reported while gesturing to the storm clouds heading their way
"We need to lockdown the Edge before they start to hit." Henry told them.
"Okay." Hiccup said before looking at the still defensive Sleuther, "We're not done here," He said.
'Oh, not by a long shot!' Sleuther roared.
(Linebreak)
Back at the Edge, Snotlout was on Hookfang, placing a tarpaulin over the 'S' of his hut. Astrid then soon arrived frowning.
"Snotlout, what are you doing?" Astrid asked.
"Covering up my 'S!' What does it look like I'm doing?" Snotlout snapped.
"You're supposed to be closing the dome and battering down the hatches!" Astrid remind him.
"Hey, I'm not leaving the 'S' hangin' out in the wind!" Snotlout said stubbornly.
"Snotlout!" Astrid warned.
"Fine!" Snotlout yelled furiously as he then placed the tarpaulin over the 'S' and then took off. However, no sooner had he left that the tarpaulin blew away much to his annoyance.
(Linebreak)
Hicca then made it up the top of the mountain as she went face to face with the Skrill, who turned to her once he noticed that she was here as she and Midnight landed in front of him.
'What's the matter?' The Skrill growled in confusion.
"Skrill listen, there's a big storm on the way!" Hicca told the Skrill, "I know how much you love electricity so I need you to fly above the island and attract as much of the Lightning as possible, got it?"
The Skrill looked up at the clouds as thunder showed before turning back to Hicca. 'I can try, but I can only keep so many bolts away from the Edge. There might be a few strays.' He growled.
"Thanks, just do the best you can." Hicca said as the Skrill nodded before taking to the skies as he started channeling as much lightning into his body as Astrid came by.
"Hicca, how's it coming with the Skrill?" Astrid asked.
"The Skrill is up above the clouds and is channeling as much lightning as he can away from the Edge, but he can get all of them, so there might be some strays." Hicca informed.
"It's better than nothing." Astrid nodded as a lightning strike was about to strike but the Skrill managed to absorb it but a couple more he missed as they hit the ground.
"Well, like you said, it's better than nothing." Hicca said as she mounted Midnight as they took off.
(Linebreak)
Raeda is at the Edge's storehouse as she is locking down the hut as Astrid comes to her.
"Is the storehouse fully locked down?" Astrid asked the Henderson girl.
"Fully locked, and loaded." Raeda confirmed.
"Good, we don't know when the storm might stop, but better safe and sorry." Astrid said.
"True that, Astrid." Raeda commented as she mounted Sparkfire as the two Nadder riders flew off.
(Linebreak)
Fishlegs was busy guiding the Night Terrors to safety and Astrid soon flew over.
"Fishlegs, hurry. You need to get 'em into the stables." Astrid said. "This storm—"
"I know." Fishlegs said. "My thunder to lightning calculations are never wrong. And according to them, well, let's just say it's—" Lightning then struck. "Aah! Really close."
Astrid then noticed the Thorston twins were flying around doing nothing.
"What do you want us to do?" Tuffnut asked.
"Get to the clubhouse and don't move." Astrid ordered firmly.
"Oh, really? And who put you in charge, exactly?" Ruffnut asked.
"We all voted Astrid 'Storm Warden.'" Fishlegs reminded.
"Well, I would like to rescind my vote. If that's the right word." Tuffnut said.
"Oh, sorry, too late. Now get going." Astrid ordered him.
(Linebreak)
A few minutes later, it started to rain dragons and everyone was trying to get warm in the clubhouse by the fire.
Astrid looked at Hiccup. "Did you drop off the food and water at the stables?" She asked.
"Yep. Troughs are all full." Hiccup confirmed.
She then turned to Hicca. "Are the medical supplies somewhere safe from the lightning?"
Hicca nodded. "All personnel accounted for." She answered.
Henry then spoke next. "I checked and all the wild dragons are somewhere safe until the storm passes." He tells Astrid.
"Good. Wouldn't want them to get caught in the storm and get spooked out there." Astrid said.
Fishlegs soon entered the clubhouse soaking wet and closed the door behind him as quickly as he could. "Well, all the trained dragons are all cozy in their pens," he said.
"Did you lock the main doors?" Astrid asked.
Fishlegs chuckled. "Astrid, Astrid, of course. Who would get something like that?" He said dismissively. He then frowned slightly as he tried to recall. "I mean, I guess it is possible. But I would never. But then again, there's a first time for everything." He panicked.
Astrid groaned in frustration. "I'll go check." She said rushing out the door.
"Astrid, wait! The lightning!" Hicca tried to warn but was too late as Astrid was already riding the zip line and once he touched the ground she ran towards the stables as quickly as she could. Then lightning struck the roof of the stables setting it alight.
She quickly ran to the door, and found that Fishlegs had indeed blocked them, and opened them up to reveal the burning stables and the dragons trapped within their pens.
'Help!/Get us out of here!/I'm too young to die!' They all roared in panic.
"All right, come on, you guys," Astrid said as she rushed towards the pens and opened them up. "We're moving to the arena before this whole place comes down."
Soon after you read the dragons and they all made their way outside the burning stables, but then after you noticed that a Night Terror was still trapped inside. 'Help!' It cried, as his door was blocked.
The door to his pen was covered with debris and Stormfly gave her a concerned growl.
"It's okay, girl, I'm right behind you," said Astrid and rushed inside. She then began to move the debris around the pen. "What do you say we blow this joint, little guy?" She suggested.
Suddenly another bolt of lightning struck the stables causing it to shake violently. Astrid finally managed to clear the debris and free the Night Terror. She then followed it outside, but then a bolt of lightning struck right in front of her and then everything went dark as a second bolt hit the ground causing an explosion.
Astrid was blown back and knocked unconscious and the dragons flew away frantically. Hiccup and Toothless arrived just in time to see the dragons flying away and Hiccup saw Astrid unconscious on the floor.
"Astrid!" Hiccup yelled as he dismounted Toothless.
He picked up just as the stables were beginning to collapse. The debris fell towards them, but Toothless fired a plasma blast destroying it. He then placed Astrid's arm around him and dragged her outside just before the ceiling collapsed.
(Linebreak)
Once they were back inside the clubhouse, Hicca grabbed his emergency kit and began to examine Astrid as Hiccup laid her down.
"What happened? Is she okay?" Fishlegs asked.
"I don't know." Hiccup answered. "We found her like this. The place was collapsing."
"Well, other than some bruises she looks fine." Hicca said as she examined Astrid. "She's just unconscious, but I'm positive she'll await soon."
Snotlout looked at Hiccup. "What about my Hookfang? Did you see him?" He asked.
"Or Sparkfire, is She okay?" Raeda added.
"What about Wildstar, Lockjaw and the others?" Henry asked about his dragons.
"Speaking of wayward dragons, nobody happened to see one Barf and Belch?" Tuffnut asked.
"Guys, they got spooked by the storm and took off,"Hiccup said. "But I'm sure they're fine and they'll be back. Right now, I'm more worried about Astrid."
"Sure. Toothless and Midnight are right here. Everything's peachy but you two," Snotlout grumbled.
The Haddock twin, Midnight and Toothless narrow their eyes at him.
Snotlout then quickly races hands up and gives an innocent smile. "Just an observation."
Astrid then groaned. "Hiccup?" She called
Hiccup bent down towards her. "You're okay. You're okay." He assured. "I'm right here."
Astrid then opened her eyes and immediately looked confused. "Where? I don't see you." She then sat up and looked around wildly. "Why is it so dark in here?" She asked.
"It's not." Hiccup said slowly.
"What are you talking about? It's pitch black." Astrid insisted.
Everyone looked at one another slightly concerned.
"Astrid…" Hiccup said slowly.
Astrid then got to her feet. "Hiccup. Hiccup!" she called as she walked around and waved her arms around as if she was walking in the dark. "I can't see any of you." She then tripped over the stall and nearly toppled over. "Somebody say something!" She yelled.
"Oh… Your hair looks really nice;." Tuffnut said awkwardly. "I mean, considering all the fire and lightning and agree and…"
"Astrid, let me take a look at you." Hicca said as she approached her. She then looked at her eyes and saw that her pupils were constricted. "Your eyes. What's the last thing you saw?" She asked the shield maiden, getting a bad feeling what was wrong.
"I was running outside of the stables and then there was a large lightning strike, but after that there was nothing." Astrid said frantically.
"Oh Thor. This is not good." Hicca said in worried.
"What, what is it?" Astrid asked nervously.
"Astrid, you're blind." Hicca said slowly, which made the others gasp in shock while Astrid began to panic.
"B-blind?" Astrid repeated fearfully as she backed away but nearly tripped.
"She's blind?" Hiccup asked nervously.
"Yes." Hicca answered slowly. "Astrid must've gotten too close to the lightning and it blinded her."
Hiccup looked at his sister. "Is there anything you can do?" He asked as he held Astrid's shoulder as she was heaving her chest.
Hicca shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't have the proper medicine for it or know how to deal with blindness. I would have to go back to Berk to get Gothi and get the proper medicine, but not in this storm." She then bit her lip, "What's more, I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent." She added worryingly.
Astrid looked devastated and Hiccup looked at the others. "Guys, let me talk to her," He said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Alone?" He added.
Everyone nodded and left the clubhouse and once they were all gone, Hiccup moved Astrid to the table.
"I could be blind, forever?" Astrid asked in terror.
"You heard, Hicca, you got blinded by lightning, but I'm confident that it's temporary." Hiccup assured. "You Remember Bucket lost his sight? He got it back."
"And now he wears a metal bucket on his head that tells him when a storm's coming, permanently." Astrid pointed out.
"True. Well, all I'm saying is…" Truthly, Hiccup wasn't quite sure what to say. "Oh, Thor, what am I saying?"
Astrid looked at him. "I know what you're trying to do. And I appreciate it. Really," she said, stretching a hand and Hiccup grasped it.
Hiccup then pulled her towards him. "Look, when there's a break in the storm we'll fly to Berk and see Gothi. Together she and Hicca should be able to help you. In the meantime, Astrid, you need rest."
Astrid pulled away from him. "No, we have to find Stormfly. She's out there alone. All of the dragons are." She told him.
"Don't worry about that right now," Hiccup said, grasping her hand. "Just rest."
He then laid her down carefully in place ahead on the pillow. Astrid still looked a bit scared and frantic.
"Hiccup? Are you still there?" Astrid asked, a little frighteningly.
"Yes." Hiccup assured. "Yes. I'm here, Astrid." He said.
"Will you and Toothless stay with me a little while? Just until I fall asleep?" Astrid asked, she felt embarrassed to ask Hiccup to stay with her but she just needed to know he was there.
"Of course," Hiccup smiled. "We're not going anywhere. Are we, bud?"
Toothless growled in agreement and dressed himself against the two of them.
(Linebreak)
A few hours later, the lightning storm was over, but there were still very high winds that prevented Hiccup and Hicca from leaving to get Gothi. Snotlout, Raeda, Henry and Fishlegs were busy trying to repair the stables, which took the most damage in the storm.
As Fishlegs and Snotlout were repairing the doors and Raeda and Henry were fixing the roof, the piece of metal the Ingerman and Jorgenson boys were moving tipped over and fell on them.
At the clubhouse, Tuffnut was currently staring at Astrid very closely, trying to see how she was handling being blind.
"Okay." Tuffnut said to Astrid. "Thorston Blind Field Test, numero uno. Who was standing right in front of you?"
Astrid rolled her eyes. "Tuff, I know it's you." She answered dully.
"She's got it! She's fine, everybody," Tuffnut announced excitedly. "Oh, thank Thor. Phew. That was a close one."
"Tuff, she may not be able to see you, but she can still hear you. And you were close to her face." Hicca called out with rolled eyes.
"Guys, we can't worry about me right now." Astrid said. "We need to find our dragons."
"Astrid, as the healer, my priorities are to your well-being. You can't do anything if you can't see." Hicca pointed out.
Astrid turned towards the direction of her voice. "You said to yourself that you can't help me until you get back to Berk and you can't do that in this weather. Our dragons are still out there somewhere and obviously scared or they would've come back."
"Guys, she's got a point." Hiccup said. "We need to round them up before the next storm hits." He then turned to Astrid. "Toothless and I will find Stormfly. Don't you worry."
"And leave me here?" Astrid asked as she turned to the direction of Hiccup's voice. "I don't think so. I'm going with you."
"Sorry. Not an option."
"Listen, I'm more effectively blind, then some riders who I shall remain nameless than full-sighed," Astrid said, turning to the direction of the Thorston twins.
"Is she looking at us?" Tuffnut asked, looking at his sister.
"She can't see. Hence, she can't actually look. So, no." Ruffut said.
"Astrid, there is no way you're flying in your condition. All right?" Hiccup said firmly as he folded his arms. "I am sorry. As leader, I am putting my foot down."
Astrid then slowly turned and glared at him.
Hicca chuckled as she backed away a bit. "Uh, you shouldn't have done that, bro?" She asked.
"What do you mean, sis?" Hiccup asked in confusion.
"Astrid may not see, but she does have other senses and ways of changing your mind." Hicca asked while pointing at Astrid.
Hiccup followed where his twin was pointing as he turned and saw Astrid giving a look. "Oh Thor." He muttered as he prepared himself for what comes next.
(Linebreak)
A few minutes later, Hiccup was flying aboard Toothless with Astrid smiling smugly behind him.
"Remind me never to put my foot down again." Hiccup whispered to Toothless.
'Agreed.' Toothless growled in agreement.
"I can still hear you, Hiccup. But I agree." Astrid said.
Toothless then suddenly flew upwards and Astrid nearly fell off if Hiccup hadn't grabbed the helm of her skirt.
"Whoa. Okay, you've gotta hold on tighter." Hiccup told her.
"Sorry." Astrid apologized, slightly relieved.
"No, don't apologize. The truth is, obviously, I'm glad you're here," he said.
Astrid smiled and then wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his back much to his surprise. "Reminds you of our first flight together, huh?" Astrid asked.
Hiccup gave a small smile at the memory. "Yeah, yeah it does." Hiccup answered.
(Linebreak)
The other Riders were out looking for the dragons on foot.
"Meatlug! Here, girl! Here, Meaty!" Fishlegs called holding a rock in his hands. "I've got some nice fresh bauxite!" He then heard rustling in the bushes and immediately thought that it was Meatlug.
"Meatlug? Is that you?" Fishlegs asked and tossed the piece of bauxite away. He then rushed over towards the bushes excitedly. "Don't know, Daddy's on his way!" He soon discovered that it was not Meatlug, but instead it was Sparkfire, who was pacing up and down, and was immediately crestfallen. "Oh, it's you."
Sparkfire stopped and then growled angrily at him. 'Are you trying to say something?!'
"Oh, sorry, Sparks," said Fishlegs apologetically. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that…" He then heard thunder rumbling and realized this wasn't the best time. "Never mind. Let's just get you back to the Edge, right?" He said.
Fishlegs slowly approached Sparkfire as she turned towards him. Unfortunately, lightning struck at that precise moment and Sparkfire flew up into the air, shooting spines out of fear.
Fishlegs jumped back in surprise, dodging the spines. "I really wish Raeda was here.." He said and then looked at the terrified Sparkfire. "Okay. Okay. You're upset and scared. But everything is gonna be fine." He promised
Fishlegs' then extended his hand, but a split second later, a thundercrack was heard and he was swatted away by Sparkfire's tail when she got spooked and slammed right into a tree.
'Sorry, Fishlegs.' Sparkfire apologized.
"Oh, now I really wish that Raeda was here." Fishlegs groaned.
(Linebreak)
The Thorston twins were elsewhere in the forest looking for the dragon, but for some strange reason Tuffnut was walking around with a bag over his head and Ruffnut was walking in front of him smugly.
"Uh, why am I doing this, again?" Tuffnut asked.
"We are now living with a blind person, Tuffnut." Ruffnut reminded him. "And I think we owe it to her to offer our services as 'seeing eye Vikings.'"
"Got it." Tuffnut said. He then frowned behind the bag. "So, wait, who's playing Astrid?"
"Can you say?" Ruffnut asked.
"Not a glimpse. Total darkness over here." Tuffnut said.
"Then you, my friend, are Astrid. Now, come to the sound of my voice." Tuffnut then began to walk towards her with his hands outstretched. "Good. Good. Okay, a little faster." Tuffnut then started to run. "Let's put some hassle into it."
"How's that?" Tuffnut asked as he ran even faster.
"You're doing great. Just a little further." Ruffnut said.
Tuffnut laughed as he ran, but Ruffnut merely sidestepped and he ran past. Then before he knew it he fell off the edge of a small cliff and landed painfully on the ground.
Ruffnut laughed as she looked over the edge. "Hey! You okay down there?"
"Nice work, Sis! I think I landed on something," Tuffnut yelled.
It turned out the thing that he had landed on was none other than Meatlug, who was busy eating the rocks in the quarry he had landed in.
(Linebreak)
Snotlout too was walking through the forest trying to find his dragon.
"I can't believe this stupid dragon. Out here in the middle of nowhere," Snotlout grumbled. "Hookfang! Get over here, now!" He then heard rustling close by and smiled as he assumed it to be Hookfang. "See that, Hiccup and Hicca? That's the way you handle your dragon business." He then rubbed his hands together. "Come on, big boy. Bring it in for the real thing, baby!"
However it was not Hookfang who answered, it was Barf and Belch on the run, before he knew it, Snotlout was run over by the two-headed dragon.
"Stupid Hiccup and Hicca." Snotlout groaned in agony.
(Linebreak)
Raeda was walking in the woods as she was trying to look for Sparkfire.
"Sparkfire! Where are you, girl?!" Raeda called out as she walked through the forest, "Come out, girl! It's okay! I'm here!" She called out as she heard rustling in the trees as she turned to the sound.
"Sparkfire?" Raeda called hopefully. But then coming out of the trees is Hookfang as he lit up his flames. "Hookfang?" She asked in surprise.
'Raeda?' Hookfang growled as he ceased his flaming.
"It's okay boy." Raeda assured as she came towards him. "Snotlout and the others are looking for you and the other dragons, so let's just…" She tried to reasoned before Hookfang got spooked by another thunder as he flamed up again and ran away.
"Hookfang, wait!" Raeda called out as she ran after him.
(Linebreak)
In the air, Henry is riding with Hicca as they are on Midnight's back as they are flying across the sky while looking for any sign of Henry's dragons.
"Wildstar! Lockjaw! Scout!" Henry called out, hoping his dragons would hear him.
"Are you sure your dragons are still together, Henry?" Hicca asked. "I mean, what if they got separated in the storm, that will make finding them even harder to find five dragons all at once." She pointed out.
"No, when we came here, we agreed on a meeting place on the Edge incase any of them ever got separated." Henry explained, as when he was out on his own, he always gave a meeting place for his dragons should they ever get separated, "It's in a clearing not too far from here."
"Well, where is this clearing anyway?" Hicca asked in curiosity.
Henry leaned forward and pointed, "Over there just passed the-" Then suddenly the wind picked up, setting Henry off balance, "Whoa! Whoa!" He yelped.
But just before he could fall, Hicca grabbed his hand, "Gotcha!" She said as she pulled him back, "Be careful, moving around on the back of a dragon can be risky in these winds." She told him.
"Yeah, should've known," Henry said sheepishly before he adjusted his arm so he was holding Hicca's hand, "Thanks for the save." He said.
Hicca gave a slight chuckle as her cheeks began to turn slightly red. "A-anytime Henry." She stammered.
Henry then looked down and saw a clearing with a waterfall pond and flowers around it. "There's the clearing. Down there." He said while pointing down.
"R-right, let's go." Hicca said with a little stammer as she flew Midnight down to the clear.
The female Night Fury looked at her light with a dragon-like smirk on her face. 'Just like how me and Toothless first met before we became mates. I was always a little nervous to speak to him.' She warbles as she gives a dragon-like chuckle as she flies down.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile Hiccup and Astrid had landed and were looking for Stormfly near the stream. "Stormfly? Stormfly, come here, girl! Stormfly!" Astrid called.
"Okay, I'm thinking that as jittery as the dragons were, they probably went to get as far away from the storm as possible," said Hiccup. "So, if we take this stream down towards the beach—"
"No! I know my dragon, Hiccup," said Astrid. "She's more worried about me than she is about herself. Which means she could be trying to find her way back to the Edge. Upstream."
Astrid then began to run upstream and before Hiccup could stop as he tripped over a rock.
"Astrid!" Hiccup yelled and jumped after her.
He caught and the two of them landed on the ground. The two of them handed and Hiccup looked down at Astrid. She was unable to see him, but he could feel his breath hitting her, indicating that she wasn't too far away from her face.
"A-are y-you okay?" Hiccup asked, stuttering.
"Uh, I'm… I'm fine," Astrid answered awkwardly as she felt her cheek getting hot. "We should probably get going?" She suggested.
"Yeah. That's exactly what I was gonna…" Hiccup said awkwardly as he got to his feet and pulled her up. "Get going. Let's be glad Hicca and Raeda aren't here since they would never let us hear the end of it."
"Agreed." Astrid said, and then heard some rustling close by. "Do you hear that?" He said,
Hiccup frowned, because he didn't hear anything. "Hear what?" He asked.
"Something's coming at us." Astrid said.
Toothless sensed it as he got into a battle position, 'Stay behind me.' He growled. Astrid, however, wasn't afraid as she got in front of Toothless.
"Astrid, what are you doing?" Hiccup starred.
"It's okay. It's Stormfly," Astrid said, recognizing the sound.
Then to Hiccup's amazement Stormfly appeared over the ridge. "Huh." Hiccup said impressively.
The moment Stormfly saw Astrid she flew down. 'Astrid, you're okay!' She squawked.
"There's my girl!" Astrid yelled, hugging her. "Oh, I knew you'd come." Stormfly then stood upright. "What is it, girl? What's wrong?" She then heard a clicking sound that sounded as if it was coming from above. "Hiccup! Above you!"
Hiccup turned and saw Sleuther staring down at them roaring. He immediately then rolled himself in trouble and headed straight down into the direction. Hiccup then quickly grabbed Astrid and moved away just as he landed on the ground and plunged his stings into the ground.
Toothless fired a plasma blast at him, but he quickly jumped into the air and roared at him angrily. Stormfly too roared at him fiercely.
"Okay, Astrid, there's a rock formation ten paces to your left," said Hiccup. "Hide behind it and you'll be safe."
"'Hide'? I'm not gonna hide! Stormfly!" she said and immediately ran over to Stormfly.
"Of course she's not gonna hide. What was I thinking? She's Astrid." Hiccup said, shaking his head.
He then quickly mounted Toothless and Astrid tried to do the same with Stormfly, but she backed away as if she didn't want Astrid to ride her.
"Stormfly?" Astrid frowned as she tried to follow her.
'Astrid, you can fly me if you can't see!' Stormfly then grabbed and tossed it into the rock formation and a few seconds later Sleuther landed in front of her. He then struck her with his tails and made his way towards Astrid.
Hiccup panicked, but then he and Toothless raced towards Astrid. Toothless grabbed her and they placed behind the rock formation.
"You, stay." Hiccup said to her, firmly.
"Not fair, Hiccup. So not fair." Astrid said angrily, using her dragon's protectiveness against her.
"We'll discuss it later!" Hiccup told her
Next second he was knocked, Sleuther slammed into him and Toothless knocked him off Toothless. Astrid knew that he was in trouble.
"You need me. Admit it." Astrid told him as she then turned in Stormfly's direction. "Stormfly, come." However, Stormfly ignored her orders. "Stormfly!" She called again.
"It's okay," said Hiccup as Stormfly stood beside Toothless. "She's with me. We need her help. And I can't fight Sleuther if all I'm doing is worrying about you." He told her.
Astrid groaned in annoyance. "Fine. I'll hide." She said and sat down next to the rock formation. "Exactly what an experienced Dragon Rider should be doing in a time of crisis." She grumbled.
Sleuther wasn't too far away from her position and was snapping his claws.
"Stormfly!" Hiccup said, performing some hand gestures ordering her to fly into the sky.
Then Stormfly and Hiccup took off and began to circle around Sleuther. Toothless then fired a plasma blast at his feet.
"Spine shot!" Hiccup yelled, doing more hand movements.
Stormfly then fires several spines behind Sleuther and Toothless continues to blast him. Eventually he had enough and ran into the forest and Hiccup sighed with relief.
Astrid however was not as pleased with the situation as she felt completely useless without her sight. And she began to fear if her blindness would force her off the team and…what if Hiccup no longer saw interest in a useless warrior.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, the twins were trying to lift Meatlug, who was busy eating the rock in the quarry.
"Pull harder!" Tuffnut yelled as he attempted to lift Meatlug, but without success.
Ruffnut was pulled on Meatlug's tail with similar success. "You want me to pull her tail off?" She grunted.
Tuffnut thought for a moment, but shook his head. "Hope. No, no, no. We'd never be able to explain that to Fishlegs."
"Ugh! What is wrong with her?" Ruffnut groaned.
Tuffnut placed a finger under his chin. "Remember Fishlegs said that she eats when she is under stress?"
Meatlug then shot up and was moving in a threatening manner.
"Oh, no! She's gonna blow!" Tuffnut yelled.
Ruffnut screamed when Meatlug spewed lava all over the place.
(Linebreak)
Snotlout, meanwhile, had recovered from his little encounter with Barf and Belch and found them on the beach. The two-headed dragon was at that moment standing there with their heads in the sand.
"Come on, you two. You can't stay in there forever." Snotlout groaned as he attempted to lift their heads out of the sand. Unfortunately, they wouldn't budge and he soon gave up. "Fine. You won't come to me?" He then started to dig into the sand. "You know what, I blame this on the Thorston twins. They let you get away with too much. Now me and Hooky, we're a well-oiled machine."
Finally he was able to dig far enough to meet the two-headed dragon as he gave them a threatening look.
"All right, let's go." Snotlout ordered. "Out! Up! Whatever you two understand."
Barf replied to this by spewing gas into the hole and Belch's response was to spark it. Naturally this caused an explosion and Snotlout shot out of the hole like a Night Fury and landed on a tree branch.
"Stupid Zippleback." Snotlout groaned in pain.
(Linebreak)
Raeda, meanwhile, is trying to calm Hookfang down as she moves towards him slowly. "Okay, Hookfang. Just calm down." She calmly said, holding her hands.
Unfortunately, the Monstrous Nightmare was dangerous when it was scared and confused. And right now, Hookfang was very scared and confused as he blew fire at Raeda.
The Henderson girl rolled out of the way of the blast as she landed in a crouch, "Okay, think, Raeda? How did Astrid get her Monstrous Nightmare to calm down?" She asked herself as she tried to remember what Astrid did when she had trained a Monstrous Nightmare back on Outcast Island.
"Oh right. Now I remember." Raeda said as she slammed her fist into her palm. She then charged at Hookfang, grabbed him by the horns as she then pinned his head to the ground as Hookfang calmed down with his tongue sticking out with a dazed expression.
'Oh, yeah that feels good.' Hookfang moaned in bliss.
"The old slam your horn into the ground, works every time." Raeda chuckled with a smirk as she rubbed Hookfang's head in comfort as the Nightmare purred at her touch. "That's right boy. It's alright. You're safe now." She assured him in a calm tone.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Fishlegs was having problems with Sparkfire, who was chasing him around when he tried to get her to move by pulling her tail, apparently forgetting how sensitive it was.
'No one, pull my tail!' Sparkfire roared at the Ingerman boy.
"Sparkfire!" Fishlegs screamed. "Oh, Thor! I'm sorry!"
Eventually Sparkfirere caught up with him and there were certainly yells of pain as Sparkfire gave Fishlegs a demonstration of why her tail was off limits.
(Linebreak)
With Hicca and Henry, they had made it to the clearing as the dismounted from Midnight. "Well here we are." Henry said with his arms out, gesturing to the clearing.
Hicca looked at the area in awe while her dragon scouted the area, looking at all the flowers and the waterfall, "Wow, this is…amazing." She smiled, "I never knew a place like this was on the island." She said in awed.
"You just have to know where to look." Henry said with a small smile. "Found this place while patrolling the island. Figured if we ever got lost, my dragons should at least be somewhere they could feel relaxed." He told her.
"Well, I know I'm relaxed." Hicca sighed as she kneeled down to the flowers as Henry joined her. "This place is so beautiful Henry." She said, brushing her fingers on a flower.
Henry looked at Hicca with a smile, "I agree, so beautiful." He said without thinking.
Hicca smelled a flower she picked as she sniffed at the scent. "I think I should start coming here more often." She said with a smile.
"I'd like that." Henry said as he then took the flower from her hand, but just before she could tell him off, he put it behind her ear, "And I think, this flower should be right here." He said with a smile.
Hicca looked at Henry with a blush as she gave a small smile while touching the flower on her ear. "T-thanks, Henry. It's perfect." She thanked as she then remembered when she thought she lost him and the feelings she had during that time.
'Okay Haddock, this is your chance, you have to tell him. Like my father said "gold waits for the bold".' She thought before taking a breath.
"Henry?" Hicca said as Henry looked at her, "I, I want to tell you something." She said to Henry.
"What is it?" Henry asked with a raised brow.
Hicca then held up a finger, "Before I tell you, I want you to promise you won't tell anyone about what happened here." She told him firmly.
"May I be struck by Thor if I do." Henry vowed jokingly, as Hicca giggled, calming her nerves.
"You know that, you and I have been through a lot since you first showed up on Berk." Hicca recounted as she remembered when they first met Henry, "I wasn't sure why but, I always felt drawn to you somehow. I couldn't figure it out at first, but after I thought we lost you and Dagur, it finally became clear to me." She said, looking down.
Henry blinked, "Oh really? And what was it?" He asked, Hicca then smiled as she looked at him in the eyes, pure affection shimmering in them. Henry was initially confused at first before it finally clicked, "Oh. Oh, y-you mean, you…" He trailed off, blushing as well.
Hicca blushed while smiling in embarrassment, "Yeah, I do." She sighed, looking away with a solemn smile, "Must be pretty hilarious, huh? Me, the Edge healer and sister to the future Chief of Berk, crushing on the lone wolf son of Viggo Grimborn, not that he has anything to do with this, but I just wanted to say it, so that next time, which I hope doesn't happen, I really do lose you, I want you to die knowing I-"
She was then cut off and let out a surprised squeak when Henry grabbed her cheeks and pulled her into a kiss. She was surprised by Henry's bold move but soon she melted happily into the kiss and returned it.
The two broke away with loving smiles. "Hicca, when I first came to Berk, all I wanted was a place where my father could never find me, but then when you welcomed me, helped Wildstar, and even came to save me, I then found something I never realized I wanted: a girl who would stand beside me, no matter what and would always stay true to her words." Henry said, smiling warmly at Hicca, "I love you Hicca Haddock, from now to Valhalla."
Hicca gave tears of joy as she smiled warmly at Henry. "And I love you Henry Grimborn, from now to Valhalla as well." She said as the two huddled close to each other as Hicca laid her head on Henry's shoulder.
They then heard a warble-like cough, startling them as they turned to see Midnight and Henry's dragons who just arrived, and apparently saw the whole thing as Midnight looked at them with a sly expression while Henry's Dragons looked stunned.
'Took you long enough.' Midnight warbled with a sly smirk.
"M-M-Midnight?!" Hicca yelped in shock and embarrassment, as she got up frantically, "H-how much of that did you see?" She asked her dragon while Henry looked away in embarrassment that his dragons had to see that.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Hiccup approached Astrid, who was still sitting near the rock formation depressed.
"Okay, let's mount up and get back to the Edge before Sleuther comes back," Hiccup told Astrid as she got up and made her way over to Toothless which confused Hiccup. "Uh, no, Astrid, that's Toothless. Don't you want to ride on Stormfly?" He asked.
"I think she's made it clear, she doesn't want me riding her." Astrid told him bluntly.
"Astrid, she was protecting you. She didn't want you in that fight." Hiccup explained. "It's pretty cool, if you think about it."
Astrid scoffed and began to walk off. "I'm having a hard time finding anything cool in all of this." She said.
Hiccup then approached Astrid and grabbed her arm. "Look, obviously, I can't even imagine what this must be like to you. You're… well, you're Astrid. You're strong and invincible." He said as Astrid still looked down.
Astrid scoffed, "Not anymore. What if this is it, Hiccup?" Astrid asked, turning to him with worry, "What if Hicca can't fix my eyes? What if the rest of my life is like this? What then?" She wondered.
"Then we'll deal with it." Hiccup said, placing his hand on her arms. "Just because you can't see doesn't mean you're helpless." He assured her.
"But that's exactly how I feel." Astrid said, looking down.
"Astrid, you and I have been through everything together. You don't think we can handle this?" Hiccup asked as he grasped her hands. "Astrid, you have me, no matter what. Okay, whatever that means, whatever you want it to mean. I am with you. There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. Always." He promised
Hiccup then found himself leaning towards Astrid and began to press his lips together when she heard a clicking sound.
"Do you hear that?" Astrid asked as Hiccup stopped himself.
Toothless took up a fighting position, 'He's back.' he growled, sensing Sleuther nearby.
Hiccup frowned. "I didn't hear anything."
Astrid had a clicking sound once again. "There it is again. Behind you." She called as Hiccup turned around and saw Sleuther somersaulting towards them behind the rocks.
Hiccup quickly pulled Astrid away just as Sleuther plunged his stingers into the ground in front of them.
Immediately Stormfly and Toothless fired their fire attacks at him, but he quickly jumped out of the way. "Okay, this guy has got to go. Now." Hiccup said, now seeing Sleuther was too dangerous to keep on the island. He then turned to Toothless. "Toothless, distress call!" He ordered.
Toothless immediately fired a plasma blast into the air and it exploded where anyone on the island could see.
(Linebreak)
In the quarry the Thorston twins saw the blast, but they weren't able to answer it.
"Oh, great. Hiccup or Hicca's in trouble and Meatlug has half the quarry to eat." Tuffnut moaned.
At that instant Meatlug stopped eating at that comment. 'Hiccup and Hicca are in trouble?' She repeated.
Ruffnut glared at her brother furiously. "Nice going. You know how she feels about her weight!" She reminded her brother as Meatlug then flew over them and grabbed them before heading up into the sky and the two of them screamed.
(Linebreak)
At the beach while Barf and Belch were unable to hear or see the plasma blast, they felt the shockwave across the sky and immediately took their heads out of the sand. They then turned to Snotlout, who stood up on the tree branch glaring at the both of them.
"All right. That's it, you two." Snotlout said, giving them a firm expression. "Playtime in the sand is over." He then jumped down towards them. "Snotlout! Snotlout!" He started his chant but unfortunately, he missed them and his head was buried in the sand. "Ow, ow, ow." He groaned in a muffled voice.
(Linebreak)
In the forest, Raeda saw the blast as she and Hookfang looked up.
"Looks like either Hiccup or Hicca need back up." Raeda said as she sat properly in Hookfang's saddle and held onto his horns, "Whaddya say big boy, ready to burn?" She asked Hookfang with a grin.
Hookfang gave a smirk back, 'Oh yeah!' He roared with excitement as he immediately took flight.
(Linebreak)
With Hicca and Henry at the clearing, the two embarrassed Riders are still looking at their dragons sheepishly before they see Hiccup's signal in the sky.
"A Signal blast. Hiccup's in trouble." Hicca said, actually relieved by this as it thankfully changed the subject, "Well, Henry. Let's go help my brother." She said with a small smile.
"Agreed." Henry said as he mounted Wildstar.
"Thank you, Hiccup." Hicca muttered as she mounted on Midnight, who gave her a dragon-like chuckle. "Oh don't give me that, do you know how long I've been holding those feelings back?" She retorted.
'To be honest, I do.' Midnight snorted as she and Henry's dragons took to the air as they followed where Hiccup's signal was fired.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile Fishlegs was still running away from Sparkfire as quickly as it was humanly possible. He then saw the plasma blast launched into the air.
"Huh." Fishlegs said curiously. He then outstretched his hand towards Sparkfire. "Stop!"
Sparkfire then came to a sudden stop and stared at Fishlegs dumbfounded.
"All right, Sparkfire, let's get something straight," Fishlegs said firmly. "I may not be Raeda, but I am a Dragon Rider. And as such, I deserve the respect of a Dragon Rider. Are we clear?"
Sparkfire blinked at him and then started growling. 'You want respect?' She asked.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile Hiccup and Astrid were still facing against Sleuther.
Toothless then landed in front of him and fired a plasma blast, but he quickly jumped back. Stormfly appeared behind him and unleashed a stream of fire blocking his path, but Sleuther merely jumped over it and Stormfly barely had time to avoid the stingers with the impairment into the ground while Hiccup ignited his Inferno.
Unfortunately, at that point it started to rain and the flames on Inferno began to distinguish and Hiccup groaned, mentally noting that he and Hicca had to find a way to make the flames more enduring.
It was at that point that the Thorston twins arrived on top of Meatlug. "Man, those guys are getting their butts kicked down there." Ruffnut said.
Raeda then showed up while riding on Hookfang. "Looks like they could use some help." She said to them.
Hicca and Henry arrived on their dragons as they arrived next to them. "At least we have our dragons." Hicca said.
"Well, each other's dragons' at least." Henry commented with a smile.
Snotlout then appeared riding on Barf and Belch's back. "Where's Fishface?" he asked.
"I haven't got a clue." Tuffnut said.
"Yeah, I know. But where's Fishface?" Snotlout jokes.
Hicca, Henry, Raeda and the Thorston twins narrow their eyes.
"Really? Now?" Hicca asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You really think this is the time for one of your stupid jokes, Snotlout?" Ruffnut glared. "Give us our dragon back." She told him.
Snotlout grumbled slightly and the Thorston twins hopped onto Barf and Belch.
"I'll take Meatlug." Raeda suggested as she hopped on Meatlug's saddle behind Snotlout.
"Hey, what am I supposed to do?" Snotlout asked.
The Thorston twins then grabbed him and tossed him off their dragon.
"Hookfang!" Snotlout yelled. He then landed on top of Hookfang's saddle. "Now this is more like it." He said in relief, before Hookfang slapped him in the face with his horn. "Ah! Hookfang." He growled.
Raeda then noticed something different about Hicca, "Hey Hicca, what's that flower doing in your hair?" She asked, pointing to the flower behind her ear.
Hicca flinched when she forgot about the flower Henry put on her as she looked nervous. "Uh, it's just something I found when me and Henry were looking for his dragons. And I find it beautiful and figure I try it out." Hicca explained.
The others looked at each other as they just shrugged. "Well, wherever you find it, it looks great on you." Ruffnut said as Hicca and Henry sigh in relief.
"So how about we help my brother and Astrid before Sleuther tries to kill them." Hicca suggested as they flew down to where Astrid and Hiccup are.
Meanwhile Sleuther was still charging towards Hiccup and the others. Toothless had just fired a plasma blast, but he merely jumped over it and somersaulted over them.
Quickly they ran in different directions just as Sleuther slammed his tear across the ground. He then fired a stream of fire down upon the ground setting the grass ablaze. Astrid meanwhile was hiding behind a rock formation feeling completely useless.
She then heard that same clicking sound again and again as Snotlout and the twins landed.
"Astrid! Thank Thor." Snotlout said as he dismounted from Hookfang. "All I could think about was—"
Astrid then held up a finger telling him to be quiet. She then heard the clicking sound once again. Sleuther was still setting the grass on fire until Stormfly slammed into him and he quickly twisted his tails together which created a clicking sound which she had been hearing.
"Do you guys hear that?" Astrid asked. "It's that same sound before every attack."
"Uh, what is she talking about?" Snotlout asked, looking at the others confusingly.
Hicca then has a thought of what Astrid is saying. "It's possible that you're able to hear things that we can't, Astrid. When one loses one sense their other senses compensate and become more acute. Meaning, your hearing is much stronger when you can't see." She theorizes.
"Uh, guys, little help over here would be nice." Hiccup called out as he turned to face them. "We need to surround Sleuther. He can't hit us all at once." He told them.
Once Snotlout remounted Hookfang, he and the others soon took off into the air and began to surround Sleuther.
"Coming in hot, blowing out snot!" Snotlout cheered.
Hookfang then shoots fire down upon Sleuther causing him to back away. Hicca then flew Midnight as she shot a plasma blast at him. Meatlug then shoots lava down at it next. Stormfly then fired a stream of fire behind him causing him to retreat even further back. The Thorston twins created a gas wall in front of him and sparked it creating a wall of fire. Henry and his dragons were flying directly above him and fired at him to keep him at bay.
'Oh, that is it!' Sleuther roared in anger, twisted his tails together which created the same clicking sound again. Astrid heard this and then got a brilliant idea. "Stormfly! Come! Now." Astrid ordered.
This time Stormfly followed those orders and ran towards. Snotlout then flew down towards Sleuther and fired a fire blast at his feet. However, Sleuther spun around and slammed him with his tail, sending him flying off of Hookfang.
"Hookfang!" Snotlout yelled. He then landed face first into the ground much to his annoyance. "This is getting old." He complained.
"Did you see that?" Tuffnut starred in amusement.
"He totally stuck the landing!" Ruffnut laughed until Sleuther slammed them with his tail and they landed in the stream.
Raeda just gave a chuckle from that. "And you two are wet." She commented before Sleuther then used his to knock her down to a mud puddle. "Should've seen that coming." She muttered.
The only ones left are Henry, Hiccup and Hicca to them, standing side-by-side with each other.
"This is getting out of hand." Hicca said. "Even without fire, Sleuther's tail keeps surprising us."
"I hate to say it guys, but I think this dragon is a lost cause." Henry told him.
Hiccup agreed and looked at their dragons. "Okay, guys, I guess it's—"
Sleuther then charged directly at them, but flying down towards them on top of Stormfly was Astrid. "Stormfly, spine shot!" She ordered.
Stormfly then fired several spines down on top of Sleuther giving him a moment of pause. 'What the?' Sleuther growled.
"What?" Hiccup starred in surprise.
"Astrid?" Hicca asked in surprise.
"What's she doing?" Henry asked in the same tone.
Tuffnut had pulled himself out of the stream and saw the display. "Hey, when did she get her sight back?" He asked.
"Uh, she didn't." Hiccup said. He then looked up at Astrid in bewilderment. "Astrid, what are you doing?"
"I got this, Hiccup," Astrid said confidently. "I've been listening to you guys get your butts kicked and I'm sick of it. Besides, I have this dragon figured out." She assured him.
She then flew directly above Sleuther climbing up the rocks as he was starting to get annoyed as he roared up at her. 'Stay back!'
Astrid then turned her ear to Sleuther and listened very carefully for the clicking and then when she heard it, "Again, Stormfly!" Astrid ordered.
Stormfly fired more spines down at Sleuther causing him to retreat back towards the rocks before he got an attack in. She then landed on the ground and dismounted Stormfly and then grabbed two of Stormfly spines on the ground. She then slowly approached Sleuther, who roared at her angrily. 'Fine! If you won't back off, I'll make you!'
"Astrid, no! Get out of there!" Hiccup yelled.
"Quiet, Hiccup. I'm dealing with it." Astrid said firmly.
Hicca then placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Let her do this, bro. I think she's got it." She said.
They watched as she slowly approached Sleuther listening to his roars. Sleuther looked at her angrily snapping his pincers and then Astrid tapped the two spines together creating a clicking noise similar to Sleuther's tails.
Then Sleuther began to calm down, 'What was that? Another Triple Stryke?' He growled, searching for the source of the noise.
"That's it." Astrid said calmly.
Sleuther then turned his attention back onto Astrid and separated his tail into three creating the clicking sound from before. Astrid then tapped the two spines together and once again Sleuther looked for the source of the sound.
"She's using the clicks to distract him." Hiccup said in amazement.
"Of course, if she makes the same sound Sleuther does with his tails," Henry started.
"She's making him think there's another one of his own nearby." Hicca concluded.
Snotlout, Raeda and the Thorston twins had finally recovered from their surprise attack and just stared at Astrid in bewilderment as he continued to collect the two spines together. Sleuther kept on looking around for the source of the noise and then saw Astrid in front of him stretching her palm.
Astrid stood there for a few seconds before Sleuther placed his snout against her palm, 'Alright, you won me over.' He growled softly. Astrid then chuckled slightly at the sound.
"And that's how we get close enough to train it." Hiccup said.
"I'll be sure to make something that makes that clicking sound when we get back." Hicca said as she smiled.
"Amazing." Snotlout said.
"Hey, I think Astrid just stole your move." Tuffnut said, looking at the Haddock twins.
"What are you talking about?" Hicca asked in confusion.
"It's not our move, Tuffnut." Hiccup corrected.
"Wait, so anyone can use it? Why didn't you guys tell us that?" Tuffnut asked in disbelief.
"Tuff, you really need to keep up, we've all used that move on a wild dragon." Henry told him.
"Well, we sure didn't,"Tuffnut retorted before he then outstretched his palm in front of his sister and she placed her head against it.
"How'd she do that? She can't see a thing," Ruffnut pointed out.
"You don't need perfect eyesight to be a warrior, you just need the spirit." Hicca answered with a smile at Astrid. "And Astrid is chalk full of it."
"Hicca's right. She's using her other senses. Hearing, touch, smell. Following her gut," Hiccup said.
"Speaking of which, I'm sensing something big and out of control heading for," said Astrid, turning towards them.
They then heard Fishlegs' screams and a few seconds later he and Sparkfire made a few aerial stunts before landing.
"This is not respect!" Fishlegs yelled after the crazy ride.
Raeda shook her head as she went over to her dragon, "You pulled on her tail, didn't you?" She asked Fishlegs while rubbing her dragon's chin.
"Yes." Fishlegs said sheepishly.
(Linebreak)
Once the storm finally broke, Hicca was able to return to Berk and bring Gothi. Together they manage to create a concoction and plated over her eyes before bandaging them. A few days later they undid the bandages and when Astrid opened her eyes the first thing she saw was Hiccup standing in front of her.
Hiccup gave her a concerned look. "Astrid are you—"
Astrid smiled at him. "Looking at you? Seems like it." She said happily.
Hiccup sighed with relief and looked at his sister and Gothi. "Thank you."
"No thanks needed bro," Hicca assured as Astrid then stood up and hugged Hiccup tightly and he did the same with her as Hicca and Gothi smiled at the two.
(Linebreak)
Later that very same evening Fishlegs, Raeda and the Thorston twins were training Sleuther using a device that the Haddock twins created. Simply by spinning it they were able to create a clicking sound which they use in order to train Sleuther called a clicker.
Using the rattle they got Sleuther to fire several perfect shots on the targets they had set up.
"This is awesome," said Tuffnut as he kept on spinning the rattle. "Can you imagine what we can do to Snotlout when we get Sleuther trained? The possibilities are endless!"
"Yeah, I don't think that's what Hiccup, Astrid and Hicca had in mind when they asked to start his training." Fishlegs said, who was holding a shield.
"Pfft. Well, who's gonna tell them? I'm not. Are you?" Ruffnut asked.
Tuffnut kept on spinning the clicker. "Nope." He said before Raeda snatched it from him, "Hey!"
"Well I would, and you remember the rules guys: If you wanna do pranks, leave other dragons out of it!" Raeda yelled at them as she walked off with the clicker. "For now on, I'm holding the tools that Hiccup and Hicca made and I'll be handling Sleuther's training, and if you have a problem with it," She said before smirking and then spun the clicker.
Sleuther then turned to her, as she pointed to the Thorston twins, "Let's see how fast you can run big guy!" Raeda said with a smirk.
Sleuther then roared as he then chased after the Thorston twins.
"We should start running, right?" Tuffnut asked his sister.
"Yup." Ruffnut answered as they ran out the dome and started screaming as Sleuther ran after them while Raeda and Fishlegs laughed at the sight.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile Hiccup and Astrid were sitting at the newly rebuilt stables looking at the sunset as the dragons began playing around with one another.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Hiccup asked.
"I'm fine, Hiccup. You can stop worrying about me now." Astrid said with a small smile.
"Oh, I never stop worrying about you. That's just the way it is." Hiccup pointed out with a shrug.
"Yeah, yeah. I guess that goes for me, too." Astrid said with a smile.
Hiccup moved a little closer towards her and she elbowed him in the arm.
"Hey." Hiccup said, making her chuckle.
Astrid then looked at him curiously. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure." Hiccup said.
"Um… Back in the forest, when we were… Well, you know," Astrid said awkwardly.
"Yeah?" Hiccup pressed on.
"Were you about to…" Astrid started as she smirked, knowing what Hiccup was about to do.
Hiccup immediately felt his cheeks go red. "Oh, uh… So you felt that, huh?" He asked and she nodded. "I thought maybe I got away with it." He admitted sheepishly.
"Well, why didn't you?" Astrid asked curiously.
Hiccup turned towards her. "Oh… Oh. Well, I… It wasn't perfect." Hiccup explained And I always thought that if it ever happened, uh… And, yes, I've thought about it a lot. Uh, it had to be just perfect."
Astrid chuckled slightly and then looked towards the sunset before looking back at him. "Well, this seems pretty perfect to me." She said, turning to him with a sweet smile.
"Yeah? Yeah, I guess it does." Hiccup agreed.
The two of them then looked at one another and drew their faces closer to one another and pressed their lips against one another. They wrapped their hands against one another as they took in one another and when they parted they wrapped their arms around one another and looked at the sunset.
From the clubhouse, Hicca and Henry watched them as they sat on the ledge and Henry had his arm around Hicca's shoulders.
"About time they got together." Hicca said happily.
"Could say the same for us, huh?" Henry asked with a grin.
Hicca just giggled and leaned against his shoulder, enjoying the moment together as they watched the sunset together.
(Linebreak)
A few days later, in his hut, Viggo was looking over the plans for Project Shellfire until his brother Ryker and a few of his men came in.
Viggo didn't even look at them, "Good evening brother." He greeted, still looking at the plans, "Project Shellfire's test run was a success? I take it?" He asked.
"Oh, it's been a huge success, brother." Ryker said cryptically as the Hunters then aimed their crossbows at Viggo, which he noticed as he looked at them in surprise.
"What is the meaning of this brother?!" Viggo questioned threatendly as he stood up and glared at them.
"This?" Ryker asked, gesturing to the Hunters before giving a dark chuckle, "This is me taking what is rightfully mine." He said.
Viggo gave his brother a glare, "A coup, Ryker? I cannot say I wasn't expecting this day to come." He said calmly, "But you should know that you'll never take command of the Hunters no matter how many of their weak minds you sway."
Ryker still held his smirk though, "Oh I know, but they're just for decoration, compared to my Accomplice." He said.
Then suddenly the sound of explosions were heard as the ground shook. Viggo looked around frantically before realizing what was causing those explosions as he growled. "The Shellfire." He said to Ryker.
Ryker then approached Viggo's game board, picked up a piece and moved it towards Viggo's chief. And then he said the words he always wanted to say, "And that's game." He said with a smirk before Viggo then slowly grabbed his sword and raised it at Ryker's face.
"You've just made a grave mistake, brother." Viggo growled. Before another explosion rocked the whole tent, knocking Viggo off his feet and dropping his sword.
As Viggo pushed himself up he saw Ryker smirking down at him. "Oh, but I'm afraid it's you who's made a mistake, brother. I'm done with your little war games, now I'm the one who is gonna put an end to this." Ryker said before cracking his knuckles. "But first, Let me show what a leader with brawn can do." He said as the last thing Viggo saw was his fist.