SUMMARY: Tuffnut and Ruffnut have a personal conversation, and Astrid overhears.
CHAPTER 5
Snotlout carefully wrapped the outer centerpiece of his personal hut on Dragon's Edge, a letter "S" carved from wood, in tweed blankets. He used a sturdy, thick rope to secure the decoration onto Hookfang's back. Hiccup had commenced his doctrine for the day by sending everyone packing for Berk to leave Dragon's Edge behind for an undisclosed amount of time. From Snotlout's judgement of Hiccup's round-about language of saying serious things, that probably meant they were blowing their volcano-ridden popsicle stand forever.
"That's the last of 'em, Hooky." Snotlout said with finality.
Hookfang sighed at the weight on his body from all of Snotlout's belongings that had been brought to the Edge. Hookfang felt like he carried the planet on his shoulder. He tromped his long-taloned paws behind Snotlout's swagger in the direction of the Thorstons who also were hard at work on their own duties to relocate back to their home village, Berk.
Fishlegs appeared in Snotlout's path, and Snotlout let out a shrill, girly scream. "Watch it, Fishface!" Snotlout said, his cheeks reddening only slightly.
Fishlegs peeked behind the ladder of books and references he balanced in his arms. "Sorry, didn't see you there," Fishlegs replied. Fishlegs took on a curious tone. "All done packing?"
"Pretty much. I didn't bring much with me to the Edge. It's all part of the minimalist lifestyle I'm embracing."
Fishlegs looked to Snotlout's overloaded Monstrous Nightmare. "I see," Fishlegs smirked. Fishlegs spotted Astrid coming near them.
"Okay, guys," Astrid said, gripping a small book with a checklist. "Once you're done packing your things, I'm gonna need both of you to start fishing. All of the dragons are gonna need a full stomach for the flight back to Berk. We gotta long way to go." Astrid added, "of course...you can just find a big pile of rocks for Meatlug, Fish."
"Sure thing," said Fishlegs.
"Are you done playing Miss Deputy-Hiccup?" Snotlout chuckled. "It's getting kinda old."
"Hiccup asked me to make rounds to make sure you especially were, and I quote, 'not being a lazyass'. Anymore questions?" Astrid said. Hearing no more sly opposition, she started towards the Twins' camphouse.
Meatlug closed her distance to her master, Fishlegs, and Fishlegs fit his pile of texts into the compartments he had slung on her shoulder. "I only have these bags left to tie and I'll be ready to fly home. It's Hiccup I'm worried about. Where is he going to stick all those inventions?"
"I have an idea where at least one of them should go," Snotlout said while watching Astrid leave. Snotlout watched Fishlegs knot rope. "What are you gonna do when you get back to Berk?"
Fishlegs made a conflicted noise. "I'm not sure."
"Same here." Snotlout tweaked his lip. "This place was a pain in the ass to defend, but...you know what? I'm gonna miss it." Snotlout thought he had made some good memories scaring off dragon-trappers and befriending cool civilizations he had never known since he followed Hiccup and his friends to Dragon's Edge. They had all made an alliance with a queen of an ancient civilization of people guarded by a dragon that literally ate lava. Snotlout had even met a girl from the tribe of Wingmaidens who protected the endangered Razorwhip dragons from extinction. And the chick had kissed him on the lips; no other girl from Berk had even tried in all of his years of growing up there. It was too bad Berk was tens of miles away from where the Wingmaiden lived.
Fishlegs said, "We've been through so many adventures here that life back home is just ordinary to me. I don't think any of us will get used to being back in Berk for a while."
Snotlout let the thought sink in just as the heat of the afternoon Sun seeped into his skin.
Ruffnut stuffed her collection of sun-dried shrubs into a sack. After it came a full yak's head, her other favorite hammer, a single boot she had just found during the cleanup of her side of their camphouse, and a rotten apple-which still was decent enough to eat. She pocketed the fruit in her vest and looped a knot at the end of the sack. She gave a mighty growl and flung the bag on top of Barf's back.
She frowned. Somehow Tuffnut's bag on Belch's spine looked smaller than hers, even though he was as equally unorganized as she was.
"Hey! Next time you borrow one of my knives to shave your mustache, could you at least clean it?!"
Ruffnut couldn't think of a better comeback for Tuffnut quick enough because his hair hadn't littered her combs in a while. Not that she minded, but it wasn't exactly usual. "I don't have a mustache!" Ruffnut yelled half-heartedly to her brother, who was busy sheathing each of his knives in cloth.
Ruffnut approached Tuffnut in their camphouse. She noticed he was folding one of his weapons with fabric in the proper way they had both been taught by their mother.
"Methinks this is yours, now," Tuffnut said with a smirk, now sounding playful. He tossed a weapon into her grasp.
Ruffnut caught one of Tuffnut's bladed darts with pleasure. "Don't mind if I do." Ruffnut watched Tuffnut work and thought of asking about what he had shared with Astrid the day before, why he felt 'invisible' and all. She was always there to see and understand him, wasn't she? That was, unless, he didn't trust her as much as he used to.
"Tuffnut..."
Tuffnut wrinkled his brows and smiled nervously. Ruffnut sounded different when she used his real name. He would dare say that she sounded like she had something important to say. "I usually respond to boar-breath," Tuffnut quipped.
Ruffnut continued. "I've got... somethin' to ask you."
"Shoot."
Ruffnut checked the open door of sunlight to ensure no one was eavesdropping. Tuffnut didn't miss her action, and he became very silent. Ruffnut confessed, "I heard you and Astrid the other day."
Tuffnut continued his work at a slower, more deliberate pace. Which subject had Ruffnut stuck her big, nosy ears into? It depended on what time she had chosen to be a good-for-nothing sneak. Was it during the night when he and Astrid shared opinions on Astrid's somewhat-tolerable, hand-made cookies? Or, had Ruffnut came later to hear him speak so plainly of his mother's death?
Ruffnut treaded carefully, "do you really feel like no one cares about you? You know I always will."
"I wasn't talking about you, Ruff." Tuffnut said. He lowered his voice to a volume that could only be heard between them. "It's the rest of 'em." Tuffnut chuckled dryly at his own epiphany. Tuffnut made a cautionary peek to their camphouse's opening to be sure Hiccup wasn't standing there with his arms folded. "Hiccup's going to be chief of the whole freaking village-what time would he even make to see me anymore?
"And Fishlegs got what he wanted," Tuffnut went on. "I mean, he can build a stairway to Valhalla with all of the lore we found out here. In a year or two, I probably won't hear from him either."
Ruffnut rushed to a hopeful conclusion. Perhaps the grief of leaving the island had gotten to Tuffnut, Ruffnut believed. Ruffnut would miss the memories she made on Dragon's Edge with her brother. She had learned valuable lessons about her capabilities and her contributions she had in a team. She had even been proposed to by a royal warrior, Throk, who they had all met while becoming acquainted with new allies to eliminate a feared dragon-kidnapper of the surrounding islands. "Are you just sad to go home?" Ruffnut said.
"I'm fine." Tuffnut said, somewhat gruffly. Ruffnut was doing it again-taking the role of a surrogate mother-figure when she was worried about how he was feeling. Of course he didn't regret spending so much time doing heroic deeds on Dragon's Edge. "I'll stay home with Dad and ignore the plain and simple fact that no one will need me anymore."
Not knowing how to answer Tuffnut, Ruffnut looped a loose plait of hair between her fingers.
Astrid came to the location of her final round, the camphouse of the Thorston twins. The twins' house connected to the high boardwalks between all of their shelters, which made it convenient for Astrid to circle back to Hiccup's camphouse later to give Hiccup an update on everyone's packing progress. Barf and Belch, who sat idly outside of the twins' front door, were loaded with tied, disheveled bags. Astrid assumed the twins were ready to fly to Berk, and she sought a final confirmation. However, when Astrid peeked into the twins' room, she quickly shielded herself. The siblings looked like they were in private conversation and Astrid didn't want at all to disturb them.
"Good morning, m'lady." Hiccup greeted from his progress across the boardwalk.
"Oh, hi." Astrid responded with a smile aimed at the brunette figure coming her way with kind, green eyes. She immediately updated Hiccup on who had confirmed they were ready to leave Dragon's Edge.
"Awesome." Hiccup affirmed. "How was the patrol with the peabrain?" He asked in a chuckle and with a light nudge to Astrid's arm.
Astrid's smile drooped; she felt accused of something shameful. "It was...what I expected," she said, shrugging to suggest that it had been more than what she had expected; it was healing to spill her thoughts to someone as understanding as Tuffnut had been.
Hiccup accepted her answer. He said his carefully rehearsed line next. "I really appreciate every single thing you've done for Dragon's Edge, and for the sake of the team. If I've ever taken you for granted, Astrid, I never meant to do it. I rely on you more than anybody else."
Astrid grinned. To be appreciated by Hiccup felt like a fitting closure for their departure from the island. "Thanks, I guess?" Some color filled Astrid's cheeks that showed her pride at being praised.
"I really mean it," Hiccup emphasized. Hiccup left Astrid with a promise that he would be ready to fly in only a little while.
Astrid lingered by the twin's doorframe, allowing herself a brief listen to know they were both alright.
"I'm fine," Tuffnut's voice said. Astrid thought he sounded angry. He finished, "I'll stay home with Dad and ignore the plain and simple fact that no one will need me anymore."
Astrid made silent footsteps away from the twins' door, vexed by the sentiments she shared with Tuffnut's statement.
Words: 1758
