Hey everyone! Just a quick note: the first half of this chapter is in Toothless's POV, just letting ya'll know!
Also of note: this chapter takes place during episode 9 (Zippleback Down) of Season 1 of Defenders of Berk.
I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and sorry for the delay.
…
Brothers
Chapter 34: The Search for Mildew
The immediate fallout of the events on Dragon Island was as clear as the evening sky when we returned to Berk to rest.
Some Vikings from the returning vessel required aid for their injuries while most were encumbered from the fighting with Dagur and the Berserkers. Speaking of that fiend…Dagur: Stoick the Vast pushed the primate forward until the latter is led into the jail. Here, he would spend an indefinite amount of time until he is no longer needed.
Hiccup's father, with the help of Spitelout Jorgenson, began to…uh, 'interrogate' the Berserker. Such a word by humans, however, meant no such thing…in fact: to Vikings, the word often followed with torture and violence. Let's just say when Dagur refused to yield, punishment is forced upon him. The simple solution to break him like a horse was to withhold food and water. Beatings were an option of course, but I think the situation given was precarious, to say the least: and the human, Stoick, knew this fact quite well.
Anyway, the long, and stressful, day we all had made us wish for rest. Our group broke apart, and we slithered back into the comfort of our cozy dwelling. I followed my dear human, Hiccup, up the wooden stairs where we hop in our respective beds and rest for the night.
Before I can even do such a thing as close my eyes, my thoughts linger on my 'brother' Flint…
So much that we had done today happened because of him…and I mean that in a good way. If he didn't rescue the Queen…none of us would have returned with our heads high in the sky. I felt PROUD to have helped the dragons from the island that used to be my home. My memories go back to all the unpleasant moments: how we served the Red Death…how we bowed to her wishes…fearing her ungodly wrath. I felt as though nothing was gained from my life during my time there. And then Flint came along…and he CHANGED her. Not only did he do such a thing, make the Queen's life mean something for once, but he made life better on that island for many dragons that dreaded it. Flint made me look forward to helping them, and now…she is a powerful ally for Berk. I forgive her, but I won't forget what she's done. That being said, I think I feel happy that Flint had done something miraculous for himself after being sent to our world. It's honestly inspiring to me. I know he's content, having saved Galadriel, that Terrible Terror, and the others. If he's happy…then I'm happy, that's all that matters to me: my best friend, Hiccup, and my brother, Flint.
As my mind slowly drifts into darkness for the night, my last thought is about Flint: he must be thinking the same thing I am…what now? The Ex-Queen is safe and sound, but now we're at war with the Berserkers. Pfft, what am I saying? As if those humans ever had a chance against us! Still, there could be more of them that could show up. There's no doubt in my mind there will be a confrontation in the future with them, especially if we have Dagur the Deranged in our clutches. Meh, Hiccup will know what to do if and when such an event occurs, my human always has a plan, after all.
…
The next day came and there was still no sign of that smelly old runt known to us as Mildew. Most of the villagers failed to take notice, except for the one they call 'Fishlegs' and Hiccup. Both inevitably went off looking for the hermit. Unfortunately for them, no trace of the man could be found on the isle of Berk. Sure enough, Hiccup and Fishlegs had to give up the search for now, for Stoick held a meeting with all the other Vikings in the Great Hall. I suppose it was urgent and important for them, it probably pertained to what had happened recently.
And so, the other dragons and I just roosted most of the time…that is…until I catch sight of a black blur returning to Berk by early afternoon…it's Flint!
Smiling jovially, I jumped down from one of the roofs and rushed down to greet him, bouncing gleefully as I do so.
"How was your night on Dragon Island?" I asked.
"Good, I made sure all the dragons were well fed and their injuries taken care of" the human-dragon responded with a soft smile.
I sit on my haunches and cock my head to the side, "you look tired" I added, slightly concerned.
"I kind of am…"
"H-how though? It's still a bit early in the day!" A smirk started to creep up on my snout right after.
"You try flying from Dragon Island to Berk as much as I have! What did you do today…nothing?" He spoke up, getting a bit defensive and I had to quell the air by bringing him closer and patting Flint on the head, "sure didn't! This place is boring when Hiccup is doing chores or working and you're not here, 'ya know?" That last part was to flatter him. I guess it worked because Callahan just rolled his eyes at me: something he often did when I won him over, heh.
"So…where is everybody?" Flint asked, pulling away and seeing that most Vikings were nowhere to be found.
"They're talking in the Great Hall…I guess about Dagur or something…sounds boring, though" I replied, licking my forepaw to bring it to my ear to clean. He just looks at me with a cute, confused, face, "uh, what do you want to do, then?"
I gave a light shrug back. A few moments later, however, I think to myself…I WOULD teach Flint how to swim better after the whole Flightmare incident, maybe we'll do that later today. I think we outta just rest, though, after everything we've been through.
And so, Flint and I took this chance to do something we haven't done in a while: we went to the beach where we first found Heather and rested against the cool sand. We let ourselves bask in the warm sun as it approached its highest point in the sky for the day. We enjoy this feeling for as long as we can, for winter will soon be upon us again…
After a good while basking as most reptiles do, I sensed the human-turned-dragon turning to me, "Toothless" he began. I raise my head from the ground to meet his own, "yeah?"
"Do you think Mildew betrayed us?" He asked with a contemplative look. I had to uncurl and match his sudden serious disposition, "it's a possibility. I wouldn't be surprised if that old hermit did" I replied before scratching the back of my head with a hind foot, "why do you ask, Flint?" I just had to raise a scaly brow to him.
"I overheard the kids talking about it on the island yesterday…that he went missing during the battle."
"So what if he did?" I scoffed, "it's not like it'll end well for him anyway."
"That's true" Callahan nodded, "you know…" he continued, "we ought to have some sort of patrols between both islands from now on. That way, we can make sure we're in contact with the Queen and the others" Flint suggested.
I brought a claw to my muzzle-chin and thought about it, "you can totally tell Hiccup about it later."
He just had to start chuckling as I arched my head back, giving a slight grin back, "what are you laughing about?"
"Just when I think I've gotten used to you speaking like that" he grinned.
"Well…I have you, and the 21st century, to thank, Flint" I retorted playfully, "well…" I yawned before stretching my limbs, "don't worry about Mildew. Everyone is fine, we won" I gave a wholehearted smile to him. He took it well, I think.
"Right" is all Flint said, resting his muzzle against the sand.
"Flint…" I moved closer to him, resting my head opposite to him, "this might be a stretch…but I think you were MEANT to save the Queen."
"Gee, that IS a stretch" he playfully retorted.
"I'm being serious" I deadpanned and that seemed to catch him off-guard, "I think you were sent here because of her" I gave my suggestion. He almost had a blank expression on his face, as if inside he was thinking of the possibility, "suppose she was meant to die…that day we fought her…if she had died: so much would be different…"
"I…I dunno…" Flint thought about it further. Maybe Toothless is right, he thought to himself, Dagur probably would have never been captured. I dunno if Toothless and the others would have still gone and confronted him when the Berserker had been searching for the Night Fury. Who knows…but I HAVE considered the consequences of my presence here. I always thought about the possibility of altering the future, my present, because of my actions in this realm. How would have things been different had the Queen died? Take me out of the equation, let's say Hiccup and Toothless challenged her, and somehow managed to defeat the behemoth on the island…would she still be trapped under the rubble? They told me how they planned to use Tooth to fire a plasma in her mouth to destroy her. If I wasn't there…they would have had time to actually do what they had planned. Would she have died then?
Flint felt a shiver down his pebble-like scales…if Galadriel died then…she would have died evil…unchanged. That made him feel horrible inside, but at the same time, it made him feel better for helping her out of the rubble after the battle. Even if he was MEANT to save the Queen…why? Could she possibly play a role in future events from now…ones that may very well change the very nature of our existence? He thought some more, if someone sent me here…are they watching? Are they somehow…observing me? Are they using me to further whatever agenda they might have? If so, why? What's the point, and why me?
By this point, I could tell I made the wrong decision to bring this up, but he made a reassuring purr back to me as a result, shaking the thoughts free finally, "Yeah, I suppose things would be vastly different."
He arched his head, pulling it away from the sand as if he wanted to look down at me since my head was still against the sand. He just had to scoff loudly, "you know, Toothless…you are probably the most curious person I've ever met…funny thing is: you're not even human."
I decided to take that as a compliment, but not without adding some of my sass in there for him. I soon brought my head up to be eye-level with him, "I'm so flattered, Mr. Callahan" I gave a cutesy, pouty, expression as I said this, and his ears drooped: his eyes closed halfway in annoyance, "don't make me take that back."
I decided to stop, but I still had a light smirk running down my maw. He continued, "I think…if you swapped places with me…somehow ended up in MY world as a human, I think you'd do alright."
"Oh yeah?" I chuckled.
"Yeah" Flint nodded back, confidently.
"You know why?" I raised a brow whilst grinning.
He knew something was up, but he still replied nonetheless, "why…"
"Because I'm awesome, that's why!" I just had to say it as if it were a punchline and he just groaned, rolling his eyes as I knew he would. I burst out laughing, rolling in the sand like a hatchling. Suddenly, I felt something tackle me! I shook my head and realized it was just him, and he was on top of me with a grin running down his face.
"You know, you might be awesome now. But soon, that's not going to help you when I reach your size because that's when I'll have to start being more awesome than you" he playfully muttered. There's an impish glint in his eye.
I gave a sheepish grin in return. I hate to say it: but Flint HAS gained size since I met him in the cove. He now had a lot more strength and, in a year or two, he'll be almost as big and as strong as me. Despite this, I had to recoil with a snarky remark in response, "…consider yourself lucky you were turned into a Night Fury and not a Terrible Terror, Flint!"
"Yeah, because whoever made me this way knew I would have to babysit you!"
"Yeah right!" I chuckled, forcing him off me by rolling away and pushing myself to my feet. We both stand across from each other: from an outsider's perspective we're just two Night Furies play fighting.
"Remember I'm the OLDER one!" Flint returned, jumping toward me as I dodged easily, "oooh! Is that how you want to go about it, Mr. human? I'm biologically older, by five years!"
"Yeah? Well, I'm older MENTALLY, by fourteen years! Beat that!" He jumped toward me as a counterattack, "you're the childish one!" He added right afterward.
"Aha! Yeah, okay! Who's been practically taking care of you as if you were his own brother, me! I showed you how to live like us" I reprimanded innocently. Sure enough, he sends a blast my way toward the ground and dust shrouds my vision. I had to cover my eyes with a forepaw, but sure enough, I felt something against me. It's Flint: who managed to use his speed to get to me in the blink of an eye. I'm impressed! The former human is now hugging me as his species often do with one another, "and I appreciate it, Toothless. Thanks for being such an awesome dragon."
I smiled down at him, bringing a paw to pat him on the head afterward, "you're welcome. Thanks for being such an awesome human."
"Ah-okay, okay" he moves away, scoffing.
"What?" I asked innocently, darting my green eyes back and forth.
"I see what you did there" Flint laughed, pacing back and forth.
"Oh…" I realized what he meant, "well…you know what I mean…hu-human…look-" I tried to correct myself, but he just gave a friendly slap at my side using the end of his tail, "I know" he replied with a nod.
As if to change the "subject" I glanced over toward the ocean…thinking about what we just "discussed" and my mind goes back to the moment Flint had been drowning in the river. We talked about doing it earlier today: helping the human turned Night Fury learn how to swim in his new body better.
"Come on" I started, suddenly heading for the edge of the shore. Dragon Flint tilts his head. I insisted he step forward to join me by the edge, "Flint, I outta teach you more about swimming as a dragon."
"Yeah…" he looked away momentarily, thinking about the Flightmare. He looked back to me and suddenly began shaking…as if fear began to run down his charcoal scales. The human always stuck around shallow water, never heading toward deeper water. Unfortunately for him, this is something he MUST overcome, because if he can't learn how to at least tread water in his current form…he's a goner for sure.
Look, I get it: water and his dragon form never got along! After all, Flint almost drowned in the cove pond when I first met him, and I had to go in and rescue him. It's kind of the reason I got trapped in there in the first place. What a way to meet somebody special, right?
"I'll be by your side. I won't let you drown, you know that" I gave a reassuring purr before Flint finally decided to let go of his fear. He walked forward and joined my side and we both entered the water together.
And so, I resumed my lessons on helping the smaller "Fury" become more acquainted with swimming in deeper water. After so many distractions, he and I can finally focus on the task at hand. At first, it was hard, especially when a large wave came rolling in toward us every so often. Fortunately, over time I taught him how to move his body similar to how a snake moves on land. Once I made this example, Flint appeared to understand and get a rhythm going while moving above the surface. I instructed him to keep his arms and legs close to his body as if he were flying. Unknown to me, Flint thought about it more like an "alligator" from where he is from (which is a creature I've yet to know anything about.) Sure enough, within the hour he finally copied my movements (or at the very least managed to get most of it right.)
Flint smiled inwardly after completing a cycle. He felt like I (Toothless) is teaching him as if I were a brother teaching a younger sibling how to ride a bicycle for the first time. It was a tender moment for sure, and it had me smiling as well, I'll admit.
Diving and traveling underwater would have to come later, unfortunately, for it started getting late and we decided to return to Berk. It made sense: Hiccup and the others must be done by now.
The both of us got out of the water before Callahan nudges me, thanking me for the lesson. I couldn't help but lick the top of his head back in response, "soon enough you won't need my help you'll be swimming all on your own, you'll see!"
He couldn't help but agree.
…
Time passed and Toothless and I made it to the village square by the evening. Sunset-colored skies dominated the landscape and soon it'll be dark once again. In Berk, torches are lit and most of the Vikings had already left for their dwellings.
Toothless and I walked through, and it seemed peaceful at the time. The wind's calm…barely any cloud in the sky compared to earlier today. If Hiccup wasn't so busy, we'd probably be flying with him today. Despite this, I'm glad I got the chance to hang out with Toothless…seems like we've been doing so much as of late. It kind of makes me wonder just how long this respite from our troubles will last?
The adolescent dragon next to me looked behind him to inspect his sole tail fin…a thought crossed his mind at that moment. He wanted to go flying…with the auto tail fin no less. The more he used it, the more he loved the idea of patrolling the outskirts of Berk. It made sense, right? I wasn't sure, if it was not a dragon attack it wasn't a bad idea. Because, then that meant he could rush back to Berk to warn the others and get "suited" up with Hiccup.
Hiccup has been busy as of late, what with the war with the Berserkers and having to deal with the aftermath of Dragon Island alongside Stoick.
The teen Fury quietly pranced around the square as I stop behind him. The reptile must be bored…or anxious? Maybe it's both? I gave a sidelong glare toward the jail holding Dagur the Deranged as Toothless is distracted by his pleasures.
What are we going to do to this Berserker? He can't be a prisoner forever…can he? The Chief of Berk may be going to use the teen as collateral…who knows?
I decided to drop the thought altogether. Once we returned to the Haddock residence, it was completely dark: the Milky Way can be seen above us. It's quite the spectacle if I may say so. I'll never get over how beautiful it is since it's impossible to see many stars where I'm from. I stare up at the sky from the roof for a few moments before Toothless the dragon nudges me with his snout. I shake my head and nod my head, following him inside.
There, we see Hiccup sitting by his desk in the bedroom. Toothless leans over to see what his best friend is doing. I place my paws on the edge of the counter and raise myself to see what he's writing: it's a good thing I'm tall enough to do this now. I can't really get on Tooth's back anymore or anything.
"Hey, buds!" He saw our entrance prior and said as we inspected his work: the Viking appears to be looking at a map. It's a map I identified to be Berk itself since I now understand the symbols above the landmass.
Our (as in Tooth and me) curiosity gets the boy's attention and the latter rests his medieval pencil, "want to know what we're doing tomorrow?"
We both couldn't help but nod. Oh boy, is it going to involve us patrolling the wilderness again…maybe it's helping Ruff and Tuff untangle themselves from their own rope, or maybe better yet…another mission to find Gobber's lost undies?
As strange as that last one sounded…yes…this one time we, as in the Dragon Riders and I, had to search the whole town to find Gobber's underwear…
Toothless, meanwhile, didn't seem to care what our task may be: he just wanted to spend the day with Hiccup and the others and that's all that mattered to him. I glance over to the black dragon: he's panting like an over-excited canine…no surprise there.
"You excited, bud? That's great. We're going to be disarming traps in the wilderness tomorrow." I pulled away with a look of disapproval. Toothless couldn't help but cover his snout in response to my reaction.
"Oh, come on, WildWing! It'll be great! Besides, the island is filled with traps from back when…well…you know…when Berk and dragons didn't get along. They're dangerous and still out there, little bud."
I felt like it was a chore…but Hiccup's right…plus Toothless across from me knows just how dangerous those traps are to dragons…they get caught in them all the time (at least back then.)
And so, I decided to yield…not like I had much of a choice in the matter except for sitting out. I wouldn't do that to them, I'd have to babysit Toothless…he's the 'younger' brother, remember?
Hiccup moved out of his simple wooden chair to pet me on the head, "It'll be fine, Wild. H-hey, look on the bright side, we'll be out in the sun…taking a break from all the action we've seen as of late." The Viking teen looked over to the larger Night Fury. Toothless is excited, not caring what happens as long as we end the day in one piece.
I think to myself quietly about recent events…I guess things are back to 'normal' huh? With the threat looming over Dragon Island diminishing, what now? I guess we just go back to our mundane tasks before our next big adventure. I've been uneasy since the island's inhabitants had been discovered by the Berserkers. I care so much for the Ex-Queen, Belin, the male Nadder (who we REALLY have to name), and everyone else on Dragon Island. I'm always wondering what they're doing while Tooth and I aren't there.
It's like another home for me…what am I saying, it is…man: it is my second home…and I swore to always protect it, no matter what!
I nodded to Hiccup who smiled back, rubbing his frail hand against my head and spikes, "atta-boy!"
…
The next day we got to work. Hiccup begins by gathering everyone, with the help of Gobber the Belch, and showing the Dragon Riders how to disarm traps. Despite some frustrating moments with Snotlout and the twin Vikings we manage to get the teens ready for today's mission.
And so, we all branch off and look for the traps all over Berk (indicated by Hiccup's map) with the purpose to rid them once and for all. It made sense, dragons are getting increasingly more numerous on the island ever since the end of the war.
Toothless and Hiccup did most of the work disarming the hidden traps while I tried my best to spot ones we might have somehow missed. Some of the teens ran into trouble with the traps…and by some, I mean the twins: Ruffnut and Tuffnut…
You see: Tuff managed to get snagged by one of the traps and his sister is forced to go find help while Barf and Belch watched over the boy.
Oops…something I forgot to mention…it's hot today…well…hot for a day in the arctic circle that is. Not only that, but it's also very dry outside. My point is…fires in these conditions could be started accidentally and ridiculously easily on a day like this as I would soon find out. Such an event, as I would come to realize, could bring the destruction of the Berkian Wilderness and possibly Berk…
It's not long before we realize such a fire surfaced and the twins and their dragon (Barf and Belch) were missing. Luckily, Ruff found us and took us to her brother: who is hanging from a branch…the Zippleback is trapped; however, what got our attention the most is the big, powerful, Typhoomerang! The beast stands next to Tuffnut, it's huge…I think it's larger than the last one we saw months ago! We all gasped at the sight, but it was not long before our team discovers that this isn't any random Typhoomerang, it was Torch! How did they grow so fast, it's incredible!
After rescuing Tuff, however, we said our farewells to Torch once again, who had grown quite fond of the twin boy during his whole misadventure.
Our day didn't end there because even though we stopped the fire in this part of the forest, some had reached the outskirts of town. Hiccup realized where it was headed and wasted no time getting us there: Mildew's cottage is in the direct path! Upon reaching our destination, we quickly extinguished the fire before it could destroy anything else.
Normally, the hermit would be there with his trusted friend, Fungus, but there's no sign of either of them…and their bungalow has been reduced to ashes.
Our group (Hiccup, Toothless, and I) searched the area for the pet sheep, Fungus, while Stormfly and the others searched farther out.
Even after everything he's done, Haddock is worried for Mildew…no one has seen the old man since the battle on Dragon Island.
It's not long before I spot something shaking behind some rocks across from the destroyed dwelling. I went in cautiously to investigate and when I peeked my head to check the other side…a creature bleated loudly in response! This sends me back as I roared in fright! I ended up on my back as Toothless rushed in (with Hiccup following behind) to try and cover me! The Night Fury stood in front of me to protect me, lowering their body whilst giving a snarl at whatever is hidden behind the boulder.
"WildWing…what-" Hiccup can see it: it's a darkly colored sheep that have been taking shelter from the flames…it's Fungus!
Upon knowing that no threat will come from a meek-looking beast, Toothless softened his stance and sniffed me all over to check to see if I'm alright, "are you okay?" He asked before I rolled over and stood up, "yeah. I guess we found a survivor."
"Fungus…" Hiccup said, walking up toward the black sheep (literally) slowly and cautiously. The creature began calming down after realizing what it just came across. The small beast started moving forward as 'Hicc' crouched down and offered a soft hand to them, "where's Mildew, little guy?"
Pfft! As if they could answer the question, Hiccup! Even dragons can't understand any other creature if they aren't scaly and have wings on their backs. Haddock, despite this, decides to look around, taking Fungus with him.
It's not long after that he knows that it's a very real possibility that Mildew went missing either prior to or during the forest fire. No one's seen him in his home for days, however…he couldn't have been here. M-maybe…he DID go missing during the battle on the island.
And so, by nightfall, the leader of the Dragon Riders has us go looking for the old hermit on Dragon Island. It's another excuse (not really) to see Galadriel and the others, so I'm all up for it! Unlike last time, Toothless is flying in with his red tail fin attached and Hiccup riding on his back.
The northern lights shine brightly above us as we arrive to greet the Ex-Queen. Once we tell Galadriel the situation, she enlists the help of the wild dragons on the island to help our group. Belin flew beside Toothless and me as Hiccup surveyed below for any sign of the old man.
"So, uh… whom are we looking for?"
I turn to the Terrible Terror, "some old human with a bony staff: skinny…beardy…rotting teeth…smells like a sheep's butt" said Toothless, interrupting me before any word left my mouth. I couldn't help but chuckle at his remark.
"That" I smiled, rolling my eyes afterward.
"We haven't seen or sensed a human like that or any human for that matter since the conflict" Belin regrettably confirmed.
"Are you sure he's not here?" Toothless asked, slightly worried.
"Unless your old human can somehow get rid of his scent and hide really well from our eyes, no" The Terror retorted.
Sure enough, our search ends with no leads and no sign of Mildew anywhere. We land before Hiccup dismounts Toothless to continue searching, followed by Astrid and Stormfly. The other teens and their dragons continue searching opposite sides of the beach for any clues meanwhile.
Belin tilts his head to me and gave a soft smile for some reason, "I'm not sure if I said this yet, but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Flint…to all of us." The Terror complimented with his heart. I stopped, turning to look at him. We held our gaze for a few seconds before I chuckled, "okay…I appreciate it, I guess."
"If anyone told me I'd be thrown into these crazy adventures before I met you, I would probably laugh at them…nothing interesting ever happens to a Terrible Terror…"
"That's not true, the ones we have on Berk like to keep the Vikings up all night with their singing and it's always funny to watch them try to shut them up" I gave a smug grin before he jumps at this, "wow, THANKS" Belin sarcastically chortled as I giggled softly to myself.
Anyways, one of the inhabitants, the very same male Nadder from our previous encounters, hops in. They squawked loudly upon discovering something half-hidden in the black sand. Stormfly is the closest and jumps over to investigate. Astrid, followed by me and Belin, run up to join her. Sure enough, the calling gets everyone's attention
"What is it, Spitfire?" I asked, calling out to the male Nadder. They just looked at me with a side eye in confusion.
"Uh, is that the name you're going for them?" Belin just had to ask.
"Can't think of another name" I shrugged, "plus, I think it has a ring to it" I finished.
"What is it, boy? You found something?" Hofferson asked and both Nadders chirped at her in response. It turned out to be a staff…something that belonged to Mildew!
"This…" Astrid didn't finish. Hiccup came up behind her to inspect the familiar object, "Mildew wouldn't just leave this lying around…"
"You think he was hurt?" Fishlegs inquired, joining in as the teens form a huddle around the found object with their dragons peeking from above and behind them.
"Dead maybe?" Snot chimed in.
"Hey, he had it coming…that's what happens when…uh…" Ruff adds.
"You don't change your undies once a year or something?" Her brother answered for her, but it wasn't what she wanted to say, "no, dummy…when you don't wash your beard once a year."
"Oh…right…remind me to do that when I start growing my beard."
"I'll remember NOT to" she grinned.
Everyone else just slowly looked away to try and dispel the awkwardness…anyways…
"Maybe he was captured…" Fishlegs darted his eyes back and forth, "oh…this is not good!" Meatlug jumps in to lick her rider to calm him down, "thanks, girl…you know how to calm me down!"
"The Berserkers…" Hiccup deadpanned, standing up after grabbing the staff.
"That's DEFINITELY not good!" Fish added in.
"Uh…didn't we like…hate the guy or something?" Tuffnut asked, looking almost disinterested, resting against Belch's side.
"I remember it that way…unless somebody kept us out of the loop…" Ruffnut chuckled.
"Guys…don't you see…" Astrid shook her head in disapproval.
"We've got Dagur and if we're right about this…the Berserkers have Mildew…so that means…"
"They got collateral" Fishlegs gulped loudly.
"Okay, first of all…I don't think Hiccup's dad is going to give up Dagur the Deranged…a pain in our BUTTS for some smelly old dude who's obsessed with his weird sheep" Snotlout interjected.
"But maybe he'll give up Ruffnut…" Tuff looked away as if he was comically scheming.
"Still a cause for concern" Fishlegs ignored the twin completely and focused on Snot's response.
"Well…I guess we got more work to do now…" Hiccup sighed softly, petting Toothless on the head as I look away, "not good…" I silently muttered.
"No kidding" Toothless sighed back, having heard me. Belin, "Spitfire" and the others decided to branch off, having done their job and our original group is left to ponder.
I thought to myself about Dagur…something had to be done or else this might get really bad really quick! I think it's safe to say the Berserkers will return to Berk eventually, and they will…that's if they want Dagur back so bad…it's a matter of when?
Either way, we pack up our bags, Hiccup pocketed the map he brought, and we left Dragon Island to head home. Our trip is shrouded in silence: the air filled with uncertainty.
Time to go see what Dagur the Deranged (who's still our prisoner on Berk) can do to help us resolve this matter. Maybe the lead Berserker has some information that can help us find Mildew…why are we looking for this old man? Well, he was unpleasant to have on Berk, imagine if somehow, he managed to convince the Berserkers that he wanted to help them bring down the dragons on Berk?
That thought haunted me for the rest of the trip.
…
Uh oh, can it be true that Mildew is working with the Berserkers, even though he is their prisoner? I guess we'll have to find out the next chapter! Take care, see you next time.
