Chapter 19: Troll Hunting
1 Year Later
Berk
May 18
"Hiccup, what's with all the clouds? And the stars? And the flowers?" Gobber asked aghast, well, not completely aghast but only very slightly surprised.
Six-year-old Hiccup looked up from the shield he was painting to his mentor. Building and painting shields was one of his duties in the forge along with hammering, sharpening, sweeping and grinding. Laid out before him were three shields that he had recently painted. One was painted light blue with white clouds on it. The other was a navy blue with gold stars. And the one he was just painting was pink with white daisies. He was in the middle of putting the final touches of the flowers when Gobber came in and called him.
"I like clouds," Hiccup replied slowly. "And stars and flowers."
"Maybe you like clouds and stars and flowers but that doesn't mean everybody likes them," Gobber pointed out.
"I just thought maybe we could use some shields that are more nicer looking," Hiccup said, embarrassed as he looked over at some shields he and Gobber had worked on in the past hanging on the wall.
Some of the designs on said shields were rather graphic looking. Some had fireballs or skulls. Others had paintings of Vikings impaling or beheading other Vikings or animals (especially dragons).
"Hmm, I see your point," Gobber muttered, scratching his chin.
Then he shrugged and picked Hiccup up by the elbows.
"Well, why don't you take a break from painting shields and I'll tell you a story?" he suggested.
"Which one?" Hiccup asked.
"How about the time of my first encounter with…trolls?" Gobber asked as he carried Hiccup to his armchair.
"Trolls?" Hiccup asked, his green eyes widening.
"Yes," Gobber said, sitting himself down on the chair and settling Hiccup on his lap. "Now do you know why we Vikings have such weird names?"
"Oh, yeah, we have weird names because…uh…because, uh…well because we do that's all," Hiccup answered.
"That's what they all say," Gobber said. "The other people don't like to admit it but the reason we have such weird names like Pimpleface and Vomitbreath and Wartnose and uh…"
"And Hiccup?"
"And Hiccup is to scare away other creatures like gnomes and trolls. The uglier your name is the more gnomes and trolls you'll frighten off."
"I thought there were no such things as gnomes and trolls. I thought they only existed in children's stories."
"That's what they want you to think but when I was about your age, I came to know for a fact that trolls are real."
"What happened?"
"Well, it all started one morning when I was getting dressed for the day. I opened my drawers to pull out my lucky pair of socks. I only found the right lucky sock but not the left one. I knew that I couldn't have misplaced it because I always put my socks in my drawers where I could always find it. There was only one creature in all of Midgard that could've stolen it."
"Trolls?" Hiccup asked in awe.
"Precisely," Gobber said. "Trolls love stealing people's left socks."
"Why the left ones?"
Gobber shrugged. "Who knows? So I hurried into the kitchen where I found my dad setting the table for breakfast and I cried out, 'Dad, a troll's stolen my lucky left sock just like the trolls in my storybook!' Then my Dad said, 'Son, don't be ridiculous. You're old enough to know by now that there's no such things as trolls'. And I protested, 'But there are, Dad! There are! How else could my lucky left sock have disappeared? Trolls love stealing people's left socks and now they've stolen mine! Not even our names could scare them away!' Just then, my mom walked into the house with a basket full of clean laundry and she pulled out my lucky left sock and said, 'Your lucky left sock is right here, Gobber. No trolls have stolen it. I just took it out of your drawers while you were sleeping last night so I could wash it because you never bother to wash your socks.' 'But Mom,' I protested, 'we're Vikings! We're supposed to wear unwashed socks!' Mom always insisted that she was the one who put my sock in the laundry basket but that's what the trolls wanted me to think and I knew for sure that it was a troll who did it. So later that day, I went out into the woods to find one."
"And did you?" Hiccup asked eagerly.
"Afraid not and I've tried to find one many times in my life. But I feel it in my heart that they are real."
"Maybe I could find one for you," Hiccup offered.
"Find what?"
Hiccup and Gobber looked up at the entrance of stall where Stoick was standing.
"Hi, Dad!" Hiccup greeted.
"Hello, Hiccup," Stoick greeted back. "Now what exactly do you want to find for Gobber?"
"A troll," Hiccup answered.
"A troll?" Stoick asked in surprise. He glared at his blacksmith friend. "Gobber?"
Gobber smiled sheepishly. "Uh, I may have told Hiccup about the time I temporarily lost my lucky left sock to a troll."
"Oh, Gobber, not again with the troll stories," Stoick groaned. "You should know by now that they are not real."
"Says the man who believes in a hidden dragon world at the edge of the world," Gobber whispered to Hiccup.
Stoick growled at his friend but Gobber and Hiccup laughed.
"But maybe they are real, Dad," Hiccup said. "And Gobber says trolls are the reason we all have weird names – to scare them away. The uglier your name is, the more trolls you'll scare."
"That's not true, Hiccup," Stoick said. "The reason we have weird names is because…uh…because…well, because we do, that's all."
"Why don't you, me and Gobber go looking for some trolls tomorrow, Dad?" Hiccup asked. "All three of us could go into the woods and I could set a trap for one. Gobber taught me how to set traps, didn't you Gobber?"
"That I did," Gobber said proudly.
"Well, I don't know about catching trolls but you, Gobber and I are going into the woods tomorrow to catch something even better than a troll," Stoick said.
"What could be better than a troll?" Hiccup asked.
"How about a nice, big, juicy Lars Lake fish to have for your dinner tomorrow?" Stoick replied.
"Fish?" Hiccup asked, unenthusiastic.
"What's wrong?" Stoick asked, frowning.
"We always go fishing at sea or at Lars Lake," Hiccup pointed out. "Couldn't we do something different like troll hunting?"
"The lad has a point, Stoick," Gobber added. "And you know, starting off with catching small creatures like trolls help him prepare for dragon killing in the future."
Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, Dad, troll catching could help me prepare for dragon killing."
"Sorry, Hiccup, but I'm afraid troll hunting is out of the question and you'll find that fishing is good enough practice for future dragon killing," Stoick said.
"All right, we'll go fishing at Lars Lake," Hiccup murmured.
"Good, and Hiccup, please don't bring anything of value with you this time," Stoick advised.
Hiccup knew his Dad was talking about the time he had brought the dragon toy his mom had made for him out on his dad's ship to go fishing and he accidentally dropped it into the ocean.
"I told you, Dad, losing Mom's toy was an accident," Hiccup insisted.
"Yes, I know it was an accident and we don't want any more accidents, do we?" Stoick said.
"No, we don't," Hiccup said.
"But at least the lad only lost a toy and not his life," Gobber pointed out. "Unlike lives, toys are replaceable."
"Not if it's a toy your late loved one made," Stoick said.
"The thing was giving him nightmares anyway," Gobber said. "Why bother keeping something that gives one nothing but insomnia?"
"Yeah, Dad, and I don't have insomnia anymore," Hiccup added.
"All right, boys, you made your point," Stoick said.
At that moment, something caught Stoick's eyes.
"What's this?" he demanded.
"What's what?" Hiccup and Gobber asked at the same time.
"These shields?" Stoick answered, gesturing to the shields Hiccup had painted earlier. "Why are there clouds all over them? And stars? And what's this? And a pink one with daisies all over it?!"
Hiccup cowered shyly until Gobber spoke up.
"It's my fault, Stoick. I painted the stars, clouds and flowers on those shields. I thought we could use some that looked a little more cuter."
"Shields are not supposed to look cute, Gobber," Stoick chided. "They're supposed to be used for self-defense not for art galleries."
"What about the art gallery of all the past Chieftains and their children?" Gobber pointed out. "They were painted on shields."
"Those shields are the only acception," Stoick insisted. "But the ones we use for combat, they've got to look tough!"
"Yes, Chief, tough shields," Gobber replied. "It won't happen again."
"I should hope not," Stoick said.
…
Later that evening, in the Great Hall, Stoick and Hiccup went to eat dinner at the Great Hall. After he finished his own meal and while his dad was still eating, Hiccup found Astrid and the other children and told them about Gobber's troll story.
"So the reason we all have weird names is to scare away trolls?" Fishlegs asked in awe after Hiccup finished.
Fishlegs was the only one who looked amazed by what Hiccup had explained. Astrid just looked like Hiccup was crazy while Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff looked like they were about to burst into laughter at any second.
"At least that's what Gobber says," Hiccup said.
"One thing I don't understand though is why our names never seem to scare away the dragons," Fishlegs pondered.
"That's because they're too big, strong and scary to be afraid of us puny little humans especially puny little humans like Hiccup," Snotlout pointed out. "And unlike dragons, trolls are not real."
The black haired boy approached Hiccup with a pretend-friendly smile and put his arm around him.
"Listen, Hiccup, let me pass unto you some well-deserved advice my Dad gave me. He says that Gobber is a nice guy, really he is. But at the same time, he's a little…mental."
"I'll say," Tuffnut said. "He's good at screwing shields but he can't seem to fix the screw that's missing from his brain."
"You could almost say he's a little screwy," Ruffnut added.
The twins burst into laughter.
"Exactly, he's screwy," Snotlout continued. "And if you keep listening to his crazy stories, you're gonna end up growing up to be screwy yourself…not that you're already growing up to be screwy. So take my dad's advice, Hiccup and don't listen to any of Gobber's screwy stories."
"For once in your life, Snotlout, you are right," Astrid piped up.
The kids looked at Astrid in surprise. Usually Astrid almost never agreed with Snotlout's remarks.
"I am?" Snotlout asked, flattered.
"Gobber's stories are on the questionable side, Hiccup," Astrid continued seriously. "The only time you should listen to him is when he gives you instructions when working in his forge."
"I always listen to Gobber's instructions," Hiccup said. "Well, most of the time anyway."
"Hiccup, time to go!" Stoick called from his table.
"But I'm still gonna try to find a troll anyway," Hiccup whispered. He ran off to join his dad. "Bye!"
"Bye!" Fishlegs called.
"Have it your way, Hiccup but if you fail to find a fantasy troll, you're gonna wish you listened to my Dad's advice!" Snotlout called.
Hiccup could hear the twins and Snotlout snickering as he caught up with his dad and walked with him through the Great Hall doors and all the way back to their house.
"Now go on to bed, son," Stoick advised as he shut the door. "You'll be needing plenty of energy for catching fish tomorrow."
"Okay, Dad," Hiccup said, walking up the stairs. "Good night."
"Good night."
Hiccup went over to his bed and crawled under the sheets. He closed his eyes but he didn't go to sleep. In fact, he wanted to lay awake for a while until he knew for sure that his dad was fast asleep.
After about an hour, Hiccup quietly crawled out of bed and grabbed a small satchel that hung from a post at the end of his bed. Then he tiptoed across the floor to his chest of drawers. He pulled out his sock drawer and pulled one that he wore on his left feet sometimes out and placed it in the satchel. Then he carefully walked towards the stairs and tip-toed all the way down, careful not to step on any creeky steps.
He quietly made his way into the kitchen and pulled out some apples from a bowl and some potatoes and carrots from a small vegetable cart. He put all those in the satchel as well. Then ever so quietly, he opened the door ajar, squeezed through the cramped space and quietly shut the door.
Hiccup looked left and right to make sure there were no people around who would try to stop him. The coast was clear so he made his way through the village all the way to Gobber's forge. As quietly as he could, Hiccup looked around until he found what he was looking for: a netter trap.
This would be perfect for catching a troll.
Hiccup struggled not to drop to his knees with the heavy load of his satchel hanging from his shoulder and the netter trap tucked under his arm as he left the forge and began to head for the forest. He knew it was against his dad's rules to go too far in the woods unsupervised especially at night. Luckily he knew a spot in the woods that was just a ten minute walk from his house. He and his dad had taken many walks in the forest enough for him to memorize his way in and out.
First Hiccup walked all the way to his house, then he walked around to the other side and began to approach the woods. Once he was in front of the trees, Hiccup looked around cautiously and kept his ears open for any strange noises other than the crickets chirping and frogs croaking. You never could tell what creatures could come out at night. Wolfs, foxes, wild boars or worse…Night Furies.
He often listened to people talk about Night Furies. Although none of the people of Berk had ever come in contact with Night Furies, they considered them to be the most dangerous of all dragons. Hiccup himself had never met any Night Furies either and he wasn't planning on meeting one either. If his people believed that Night Furies were especially scary and dangerous compared to most dragons, then he believed it too.
The coast seemed to be clear and there were no other strange noises other than the frogs and crickets so Hiccup made his way through the trees. Even knowing his way through the dark and knowing that the only creatures around him were frogs and crickets, Hiccup still couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He would have to set up his trap fast and get out of here.
About ten minutes later, he arrived at the small clearing where he wanted to set up his trap. Setting his satchel down on the ground, Hiccup got to work. He spread out the netted trap before him. Then he took a piece of rope out of the tangle and holding it tight, he climbed a tree and tied the loose rope to a low branch just hanging over the trap. If something should walk into his trap, then the loose rope would pull up the tangle high above the ground.
But if he wanted to catch anything in this trap, he wanted to make sure nobody saw it.
Slowly he climbed down from the tree and began to pick as many leaves and ferns off the ground as he could and laid them over the trap. Nobody would be able to see the ropes now. But he did want them to see the bait he brought along.
Hiccup picked up his satchel, took out the sock and apples, carrots and potatoes he had packed in it and placed them in the center of the trap.
Good. His trap was all set. Now to get back home.
Hopefully, he would be able to catch a troll for Gobber and prove to his dad that his mentor was telling the truth. He would wake up early enough in the morning to go into the woods and check if he had caught one before he, his dad and Gobber went fishing at Lars Lake.
…..
Berk
May 19
Hiccup was awoken early the next morning by the sound of roosters crowing outside. He lifted his head lazily off his pillow, rubbed his eyes and looked up at the sunny day outside the window above his bed.
He smiled at the gold and blue sky before he remembered.
The troll trap!
He had to go into the clearing fast to find if he had successfully caught a troll in his trap before he and his dad and Gobber left for fishing.
Hiccup flung the covers off him, crawled out of bed and tip-toed across the hall to the stairs. Careful not to make any noise against the creaky steps, Hiccup made his way down the stairs. He was just about to touch the doorknob when he heard…
"Hiccup!"
Hiccup flinched at Stoick calling his name. He looked over and saw him standing beside the kitchen table and laying out the breakfast dishes with a big smile on his face. Gobber was there too already seated at the table.
"Uh, good morning, Dad, Gobber," Hiccup said shyly.
"Morning, laddie," Gobber greeted.
"Morning, son!" Stoick greeted cheerfully. "Glad you decided to wake up early. The early hours are when those fish are most active and we want to get our hands on as many as we possibly could do we?"
"Oh, yeah, we sure do," Hiccup said pretending to look and sound excited.
"So where were you going in such a hurry?" Gobber asked.
"Oh, uh, I just wanted to…um…get to Lars Lake and catch all those yummy fish," Hiccup answered, thinking quickly.
"Glad to see you're excited about fishing son," Stoick said happily. "Especially when you were moping about doing it again and wanting to go troll hunting instead."
"Troll hunting?" Hiccup echoed. "Oh no, Dad. You were right all along. Troll hunting is a silly idea. Fishing is a much more sensible activity."
"Glad to hear you say that son," Stoick said, still happy.
The sight of seeing Stoick so excited about his son supposedly wanting to something he didn't even want to do made Hiccup feel a little guilty but tried not to show it by smiling really big.
"But as excited as you are about fishing, we still need to eat some breakfast in order to keep our strength up," Gobber said.
"Gobber's right, son, now come have your breakfast while it's still piping hot," Stoick added.
"Okay, Dad, Gobber," Hiccup said, joining the two men at the table.
Once all the breakfast dishes had been picked clean of crumbs, Stoick grabbed three fishing poles – two long ones and one short one - leaning against the wall. He handed one of the long ones to Gobber and the short one to Hiccup.
"Let's go, boys," Stoick said. "Those fish aren't going to catch themselves."
Gobber and Hiccup followed Stoick out the door. As the two men started in the direction of Lars Lake, Hiccup began to head for the direction of the troll trap.
"Where are you going, son?" Stoick demanded.
Hiccup stopped. "Uh, to Lars Lake?"
"But Lars Lake is that way, lad," Gobber said, pointing in the direction he and Stoick were headed.
"Well, yeah, but I think we should go this way instead," Hiccup said.
Stoick began to look suspicious. "All right, son, what's going on here?"
"Nothing's going on, Dad. I just thought it would be nice to take the scenic route for a change especially since we always go that way."
"The lad's not half-wrong, Chief," Gobber added.
Stoick pondered before turning to Hiccup. "Tell you what, son. Let's take the usual path to Lars Lake today and then next time, we'll take the scenic route. Does that sound fair enough?"
Hiccup tried his best to hide his disappointment. "Okay."
"Good," Stoick said. "Now come along, boys. Those fish are waiting."
Hiccup nodded and began to follow his father and mentor down the path towards Lars Lake. He looked back longingly at the path where he had laid the troll trap. He would have to think of a way to get back to the trap to find out for sure if he had caught any trolls or not. If he had, then he would receive great pride from Stoick and Gobber. If he hadn't then he would have to wait by the trap to look out for any trolls that might come by.
"Come on, Hiccup, pick up the pace," Gobber called.
"Coming, Gobber," Hiccup called back.
The two men and the boy walked through the forest all the way to the large, beautiful, crystal-clear waters of Lars Lake.
"Ready to catch some fish, boys?" Stoick asked excitedly as the trio walked across the wooden deck over the shallow waters.
"Yes, Stoick," Gobber replied, also excited.
"Yes, Dad," Hiccup said at the same time, pretending to look and sound excited.
"Then let's get those hooks in the water," Stoick said as he dipped the long string and hook hanging by the end of his pole.
Gobber and Hiccup followed his lead and lowered their poles over the water and watched the hooks disappear into the depths.
"And now we wait," Stoick said.
"And now we wait," Hiccup echoed.
It would only be a matter of time before some fish caught hold of the hooks in their mouths and Hiccup was still a little impatient to get to his troll trap as fast as he could.
He was getting an idea though.
Hiccup looked up at Stoick and Gobber. As expected, the two men had their eyes glued to the water, keeping their eyes out for any fish they were hoping to catch. As quietly as he could, Hiccup lifted his fishing pole a little bit so that the hook would be dangling over the water instead of in it.
Just then Gobber stumbled forward a bit and his hook seemed to be twitching. The line attached to the blacksmith's pole was being pulled farther and farther into the water.
"I think I got a bite, Stoick!" Gobber said half-excited, half-panicked.
"Well done, Gobber," Stoick said proudly. "See if you can pull it in a bit."
Gobber pulled his good arm back a bit with difficulty.
"It's hard to pull a fish in when you only have one good hand and one long hook."
"I'll help you, old friend," Stoick said.
Stoick placed his hands on his friend's shoulders and pulled him towards him with all his might.
Hiccup knew that he would have to leave as fast as he could while the two men were distracted so quickly and quietly, the boy placed his pole on the deck and raced across the deck and into the forest.
He knew what he was doing was risky – going into the woods without supervision even in the daylight. He also felt a little bad for leaving Stoick and Gobber behind but he was too desperate to find out if he had caught some trolls to care about any dangers or about how Stoick and Gobber would react once they discovered him missing right now.
Hiccup walked further and further into the woods towards the direction of his house. Once in a while, he would look all around him to be on the lookout for any dangers and predators and also to make sure he wasn't being followed. Luckily for him, the coast was clear and he continued on.
As he walked further and further, the faint smell of produce filled his nostrils and he could see the small clearing coming closer and closer to view. Hiccup walked a little more slowly not to step into his own trap.
As he arrived in the clearing at last, Hiccup's face fell with disappointment when he saw that the netter trap still hidden within the leaves and ferns was still lying on the ground. The sock, apples, carrots and potatoes that he had left stood in the center of the trap untouched.
So he hadn't caught anything.
Well, he hadn't caught anything yet.
A small ray of hope glimmered down on the boy. Maybe if we waited long and patiently enough, he still might be able to trap something after all.
He couldn't possibly go back to Lars Lake now. He had already taken two long walks to the lake and back here to the clearing so he decided to wait near the trap and if he was lucky enough he would be present to witness a troll being trapped. And then it would prove that Gobber wasn't as screwy as some of the people saw him.
Hiccup walked behind a tree and sat down with his back leaned against the trunk. He was a bit tired out from his two long walks and the twittering of birds above him was lulling him ever so peacefully. He closed his green eyes and dozed off.
….
Back at Lars Lake, Stoick and Gobber were still struggling to pull Gobber's catch out of the water.
"I think I'm getting him closer," Gobber said.
Sure enough the struggling fish attached to his fishing hook was almost above the water.
"Hey, Hiccup, look at the size of this little monster I've caught," Gobber said proudly.
No answer.
It was then that Stoick looked from his friend and the caught fish to the spot where Hiccup was standing. But there was no Hiccup there just his fishing pole.
"Hiccup!" Stoick cried out in alarm and releasing his grip on Gobber's shoulders.
Without his friend to help him out, Gobber lost his balance and fell right into the shallow waters, letting go of his fishing pole in the process. This allowed the fish to make its escape. Gobber stood up in the shallows, sputtering and wiping his dripping face and mustache with his good hand.
"Well, so much for that," he muttered.
"Gobber, Hiccup's missing," Stoick announced.
"So I've noticed," Gobber said dryly.
"We've got to find him," Stoick said.
"Don't worry, old friend, I'm sure he hasn't gone far," Gobber said assuringly as he trudged back onto the shore.
"I know he's wandered away before but he never wanders off during fishing trips," Stoick said worriedly. "Where could he have gone?"
"Maybe he just went back to your house," Gobber estimated.
"Why would he go all the way back to my house?" Stoick asked.
"Maybe he got a little bored," Gobber suggested. "He wasn't too excited yesterday when you announced you were taking him."
"But he seemed excited this morning and he even said he was looking forward to this fishing trip," Stoick said. "That boy had better have a good explanation for running off like this."
"Let's just worry about finding him for the time being, Stoick," Gobber said calmly.
"Right," replied Stoick, trying to remain calm himself.
"Let's just head back to your place and find any sign of him along the way," Gobber said.
So the two men walked across the deck and headed into the forest down the path that led back to Stoick's house.
As they walked further and further through the trees, Stoick pondered over his son's wandering off and behavior today.
"There are times when I don't know what goes on in his head, Gobber and this is one of them," he admitted. "Yesterday, I tell him that we're going fishing and he shows no excitement, wanting to hunt for trolls of all things instead. Then this morning he decides that he wants to go fishing after all. Of course for whatever reasons he wants to take a different path down to the lake instead of the usual path. He's looking all excited by the time we get there and when we finally catch a bite, he just runs off to Thor knows where."
"He may be an oddball, Stoick, but at least he's a good kid at heart," Gobber assured his friend. "And I'm sure he'll tell us what was on his mind today as soon as we find him."
"If we find him," Stoick muttered.
"Hey," Gobber sighed happily.
"You see him?" Stoick asked, looking up hopefully.
"No but I smell something," Gobber replied, still happily. "Is that apples I smell. Oh, yeah. Definitely apples. Oh, I smell something else too. Let's see…uh…carrots! Oh, I love carrots. And what's this? Potatoes too? Oh, I smell all of my favorites."
Stoick stared as his friend in disbelief. "How can you be thinking of food when my son is lost in the woods?!"
But Gobber didn't seem to be listening. With a dreamy expression, he began to walk away.
"Gobber? Gobber!"
Sighing in exasperation, Stoick followed his friend. He followed Gobber towards a little clearing.
"Look, Stoick! There they are! Apples, potatoes and carrots all waiting just for me. Oh, and there seems to be a sock too!"
Stoick and Gobber walked to the middle of the clearing and sure enough there were some apples, potatoes, carrots and a sock resting in the midst of a pile of leaves. The sight of the food and sock didn't make Gobber suspicious but it certainly made Stoick suspicious.
Why would a pile of produce and a sock be all the way out in the middle of a forest?
Maybe someone went out into the forest and dropped some of his snacks and his sock along the way.
Then again sometimes people leave food as bait for when they're trying to trap something or someone.
Wait a minute.
Trap?
TRAP!
"GOBBER, NO!" Stoick shouted.
But it was too late. Gobber had already touched one of the apples and before the two men knew it. They were lifted up along with the food and sock and found themselves hanging by a branch in a tangle of ropes.
The noise had awoken Hiccup who was still resting against the tree. His eyes popping open, Hiccup leapt to his feet and hurried to the clearing. And he was very surprised to see his dad and Gobber entangled in the net instead of the trolls he was hoping to catch.
"Dad! Gobber!" Hiccup cried.
"Hiccup!" Stoick and Gobber cried.
"What are you doing in my troll trap?" Hiccup asked.
"Troll trap?!" Stoick echoed, flabbergasted.
"Yeah, I set this trap hoping to catch some trolls and prove that Gobber was right about them," Hiccup explained, embarrassed.
"You were trying to catch a troll for me?" Gobber asked. "I'm flattered, lad."
"Don't encourage him, Gobber," Stoick said angrily. "Hiccup, get us out of here immediately!"
Unhesitating, Hiccup climbed the tree trunk and untied the rope holding the net from the branch. The net along with Stoick and Gobber landed on the ground with a big, loud PLOP!
Hiccup climbed down from the trunk and approached the groaning men as they rubbed their sore spots.
Stoick sat up and said in a soft but dangerous voice, "Hiccup? Gobber?"
"Yes, Dad/Yes, Stoick?" Hiccup and Gobber said at the same time, both very nervous.
"The three of us need to have a long talk," Stoick continued in that soft, dangerous voice.
And so the trio had said long talk. When they were finished, Stoick turned to Hiccup.
"Hiccup, please tell me what you have learned from this experience."
"I have learned that it was very dangerous and foolish to go wandering off on my own and that I shouldn't believe all of Gobber's stories."
"Gobber, what have you learned?"
"I have learned that I shouldn't fill Hiccup's head with nonsense. If I want to tell Hiccup some stories they need to have some truth in them."
Stoick swiveled his head as he looked at Hiccup and Gobber, looking a little calmer now but still stern. Then he said softly, "Let's go home."
Stoick led the way as Gobber and Hiccup walked behind him at least a foot away from him to give him space.
"Do you think Dad will forgive us, Gobber?" Hiccup whispered.
"Just give your dad some time and he'll get over it eventually," Gobber answered. "He always does. You wanna know a secret?"
"What?" Hiccup asked eagerly.
"As dangerous and foolish as your actions were, I'm impressed that you at least tried to catch a troll for me," Gobber whispered with a proud smile.
"Thanks, Gobber," Hiccup whispered, feeling a little proud himself.
Ahead of them, Stoick shook his head and sighed.
…
Later that evening in the Great Hall, Hiccup, Gobber and Stoick had roast pheasant instead of fish for dinner. Hiccup and Gobber didn't mind and Stoick probably wouldn't have minded either if he hadn't had his heart set on the fish they would've caught today.
After he finished, Hiccup walked over to where the other children were seated. He knew they were expecting him to have caught a troll and he had no choice but to inform them about his failure.
"Did you catch any trolls, Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, the only one who looked eager and excited.
"No, I just caught Gobber and my dad in the trap I set," Hiccup replied disappointedly.
Astrid shook her head while Ruff, Tuff and Snotlout snickered.
"I told you that you should've taken my dad's advice and not listen to Gobber's stories and end up making a fool of yourself like you did today," Snotlout said.
At for once, Hiccup agreed with Snotlout.
….
Temporary Island #1
May 19
The evening sun was halfway below the horizon.
Toothless roosted in the sands of the beach of the island he shared with other dragons. He was dining on some fish that he had caught from the sea. He was just starting to help himself to the last fish when he heard a rustling from the grass.
Toothless turned to the sound, his ears pricked back and his teeth bared. He was ready to face whatever was hiding in the grass. Was it here to attack him and the other dragons? Was it here to steal his food? He had to find out.
Slowly and panther-like, Toothless stalked towards the grass. Whatever was in there was coming closer and closer.
And out of the grass came…
A field mouse!
Toothless' expression softened at the sight of the tiny creature. Instead of growling at it to frighten off as he usually would, he just watched it scurry away.
He was having flashbacks of memories of trying to protect his family from danger…even if it always turned out to be harmless, tiny mice. He felt useless of being able to protect them from mice but unable to protect them from tusked, poisonous dragons.
Toothless didn't even feel like eating his last fish. So instead he just flapped his wings and flew off to the small den he slept in.