This one was fun with the Lycanwing legend. And a lot easier considering there are no battles (part of the reason last chapter took so long and this one was so quick. Soooo many fight scenes, agh!)

Seriously, though, one of my favorite episodes of season 2 next to The Zippleback Experience. Sure, not a whole lot plot wise happens in them, but they're just such a good time.


Bad Moon Rising:

Almost as soon as they'd gotten back to the Edge, Fishlegs and Meatlug worked to make the recipe for Gronckle Iron, a metal they had only had access to once before, and since then thought it impossible to ever make again. But somehow, the Dragon Hunters had the formula; they figured out how to make it, forced Gronckles to do so, and now Berk would have access to it once again. And unlike the Dragon Hunters, they'd make it with respect to the dragon producing it.

To test its durability, Hiccup made a dummy out of it and sent a Terror mail to Gobber, so he could witness it. When he arrived, Fishlegs showed him to the dome and Hiccup and Snotlout got on their dragons to begin the tests.

"Are you sure you've got the recipe right?" Gobber asked.

"Of course I'm sure," Fishlegs answered. "Three parts limestone…"

"Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" Snotlout cheered as Hookfang did a flyby passed the Gronckle Iron Viking and shot fire at it. The metal only got hot.

"Three parts limestone," Gobber parroted.

"Uh-huh," Fishlegs boasted, high-fiving Gobber.

"Give it all you got, bud," Hiccup said, and Toothless dove in.

"Two parts sandstone," Fishlegs continued, Toothless' plasma blast shooting the dummy into the air, but not so much as leaving a dent. "One part iron ore. Up high, down low. And now, the secret ingredient."

Barf and Belch decided to get in on the action now, clawing and stomping all over the metal dummy.

"One giant spoon of cooled and hardened Gronckle lava!"

"Gronckle lava! Of course!" Gobber exclaimed.

Barf and Belch picked the dummy up by their teeth, playing a tug-of-war game Ruffnut decided to get in on too.

As further demonstration, Meatlug spat out a glob of molten Gronckle Iron she'd been saving for this moment.

"Viola!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "You have Gronckle Iron."

"All right," Aric stepped up with Shadowstar. "Let's see how your Gronckle Iron holds up against a close-range spine shot."

"Be our guest," Fishlegs confidently invited.

"Shadowstar, spines," Aric said, and she backed up for a running start.

It was then that Tuffnut shuffled in, muttering about something being giant, furry, and having teeth. He was walking right in the line of fire, and Hiccup only noticed after Shadowstar charged in, doing a double take at the sight of him.

"Tuff, no!" she tried to warn, but he didn't seem to notice.

Shadowstar fired, several spines sent flying at close-range. Somehow, either from sheer luck or Shadowstar's precision, they all missed Tuff and hit the metal alone, even as he was standing right in front of it. It did cause the dummy to start teetering, though, another thing Tuffnut failed to notice.

"Thank Loki," he turned to them, the sound of Shadowstar's spines hitting the metal possibly causing the sudden awareness. "You guys are not gonna believe what just happened to me. It was− "

The dummy fell, Tuffnut crushed to the ground by it, and Hiccup, Aric, and Fishlegs all rushed to him.

"We'll talk in a little bit," he muttered tiredly, and it was decided to get Astrid.

Later they all gathered in the Clubhouse. Hiccup sat next to Tuffnut, Aric standing on her other side. Ruffnut, Gobber, and Fishlegs all stood around as Astrid examined him. She was just about finished when Snotlout walked in.

"No concussion," she said, "But, plenty of flesh wounds. Tuffnut, what happened out there?"

"Well, there I was," he spoke dramatically, ominously. "Me and my inner nut."

"Tuff," Hiccup voiced, but Tuffnut interrupted.

"It was dark. So dark, Hiccup," he turned and rested a hand on her shoulder, before pulling her into him looking out to the distance. "Not even the moon to light my merry way. And then, all of a sudden," she slowly pulled away. "Out of the darkness, red eyes! Ferocious teeth! A growl that could peel the beak off a chicken!"

Chicken reared back, cooing fearfully.

"Sorry. Metaphor. It grabbed me," he grabbed and picked her up, shaking her around as he continued. "And tossed me around me around like a ragdoll. A very handsome ragdoll. And then," he gently put Chicken down, "It left me for dead."

"Tuffnut, can you tell us anything else about what attacked you?" Fishlegs asked.

"It was far too fast. Too cagey, too… Quick, give me another adjective."

"Ooh, how about, 'imaginary'," Snotlout supplied.

The riders couldn't help but laugh.

"Laugh and guffaw if you must," Tuffnut continued his theatrics. "But would an imaginary beast give you one of these?!" he showed off the bite, lifting his arm for all to see.

Astrid sighed. "It's not any bite I've ever seen. I could look back in the books Gothi gave me, but just in case, Fishlegs, I think you should look through your dragon notes. Especially if the dragon was venomous."

"Can do," Fishlegs said, and that night Tuffnut, with Hiccup, Snotlout, and Gobber, found themselves sat in Fishlegs' hut, a fire in between them.

"Errgh," Fishlegs groaned, about an hour of searching gone by. "There's nothing anywhere that matches this. The Book of Dragons, Bork's papers, even the Dragon Eye."

"Won't be in any of those," Gobber said as he picked the earwax out of his ear.

"Gobber?" Hiccup asked.

"It's obvious we're all thinking the same thing."

"Well, I can pretty much guarantee you we're not. Uh, but why don't you tell us what you're thinking, Gobber," she offered.

Gobber was silent a moment, before speaking the name of a creature Hiccup hadn't heard in a very long time. "Lycanwing."

Her eyes couldn't help but roll.

"The Lycanwing Dragon is a very rare beast, and a vicious one at that. Those who survive its bite are not actually survivors at all. They are doomed to a life as half-man, half-Lycanwing."

"You mean like Hiccup?" Snotlout snorted.

Hiccup's eyes narrowed at him, about to respond, when Gobber continued.

"At the height of every full moon, the condemned Viking transforms into a terrifying dragon! Wings the size of a house, teeth stronger than Gronckle Iron, and a thirst for blood."

"Ah!" Tuffnut startled, nearly tumbling back.

"Tuff, the Lycanwing is a legend," Hiccup calmed. "It's not a real dragon. It's just a story to scare little Halflings," she looked at Gobber specifically.

"How do we know you're not a Lycanwing?" Snotlout challenged, though it seemed to be more of a joke than anything serious. Hiccup still glared at him, a light growl escaping.

"Gobber, have you ever seen a Lycanwing?" she asked. "A real Lycanwing?" she corrected when she saw Snotlout about to open his big mouth again.

"No," he answered.

"Has anyone on Berk ever seen a Lycanwing?"

The boys thought for a moment, before Gobber answered again. "Not that I can recall," he said with a shrug.

"I rest my case."

"But the stories…ooh, they'll straighten the hairs on a curly-haired yak."

000

Unfortunately, that meant listening to one of said stories. They went outside, Ruffnut joining them as she sat on a bench with Tuffnut, Chicken held in his arm. Snotlout and Fishlegs sat on chairs on either side of it, Fishlegs to Ruffnut's left, and Snotlout to Tuffnut's right as the Riders formed a semi-circle around Gobber. Hiccup just sat in the grass.

She'd heard just about every one of Gobber's tales a dozen times. They were his favorite bedtime stories, and they always used to scare the living daylights out of her. Now, as Gobber began one of his favorites of the myth, waving around a lit torch in the dark of the night, she barely flinched.

"His name…was Kessler," he began intensely, getting right in Snotlout's face.

"That's a weird name," Snotlout said, clearly a little freaked out already, and they'd barely even started.

"Weird kid," Gobber said. "Bright red hair, eyes as black as night. As naughty as a Nadder in a chicken coop."

"That's seriously naughty," Tuffnut said. "Am I right?" he looked to Chicken. "High three."

Chicken just looked at him.

"Eh, never mind."

"One night, little Kessler, against his parents' wishes," Gobber went on, Hiccup's eyes rolling, "went exploring in the forest." He got up close to Fishlegs, her friend starting to tremble and squeal. "Days went by, no sign of him. Only a faraway scream coming from the woods. The little bugger never returned," he turned mournfully. Until...

"YAAH!" Gobber suddenly roared, everyone spare Hiccup screaming in turn. "Or did he?! Every year from then on, when little Kessler's birthday rolled around, a red black-eyed dragon would fly over his parents' house and pluck one of their sheep right out of the paddock! The dragon would look back, taunting them. But, I wouldn't worry, Tuffnut. You're not exhibiting any symptoms."

"Hey, hey, hey," Snotlout argued with a smirk. It was at that point Hiccup had enough, though. She didn't want to hear Gobber trying to scare them with any more Lycanwing stories, or with any of the supposed symptoms, most of which were just generic draconic traits. As Gobber began listing said traits at Snotlout's egging and Ruffnut's objection, Hiccup took off for her hut where Toothless sat waiting for them to go to the Clubhouse together.

When they arrived, Aric was inside cooking, Shadowstar laying in the corner. It was his turn tonight, and whatever he was making smelled absolutely delicious.

"Mm," Hiccup voiced. "Is that another master piece from Aric Hofferson I smell?"

Aric chuckled. "Come up here to help, or drool over my cooking?" he teased, and Hiccup gave a sarcastic smirk.

"Ha-ha," she said as she stepped up to the hearth. "I don't drool." She stopped beside him, Toothless going to sit with Shadowstar.

"Here," he handed over the tongs, meat already cooking on the fire, then went to a crate at one of the back walls and got out some carrots. "So, what's the news on Tuffnut's bite?" he asked as he laid them on the table and started peeling the outer layer with a knife.

"Fishlegs couldn't find a match for a dragon, but Gobber thinks it's a Lycanwing. Please tell me Astrid found something?" Hiccup asked, somewhat pleading, as she turned over a piece.

"She didn't. Isn't the Lycanwing just a story to scare kids?" Aric asked.

"It is. And the others are scaring themselves silly with them." Hiccup shook her head, scoffing at it.

"I take it you don't like those stories," Aric guessed, and it was a pretty good one. She wasn't exactly hiding her disdain for the legend. It was ridiculous, not to mention how it fed into the fear of being a dragon.

"When you're half dragon, hearing horrifying stories about a half man-half dragon creature isn't exactly the most fun."

"Hm. I can get that."

Hiccup smiled up at him. "You always could."

000

As expected, dinner was delicious. No one left even a scrap on their plate. For some reason, Tuffnut didn't show up, though. Snotlout said he ran off after Gobber went through the symptoms of the Lycanwing, and Ruffnut looked at him angrily, blaming him for Tuffnut supposedly trying to eat raw fish before running away, not that Hiccup blamed her. Snotlout had been the one to egg Gobber on when she'd left.

It was then they heard what sounded like squeaky wheels, and Tuffnut walked in with a wheelbarrow.

"Uh, Tuffnut, what are you doing?" Hiccup asked.

Tuffnut only sighed, stopping before Snotlout and then taking out his favorite mace. "I give you Macey," he bestowed to him. "Hold her dearly. She likes sitting by the window, looking at the moon. The full moon. Hah, the irony."

"Oh, my Thor. That's so thoughtful," Snotlout said, clearly disingenuous as Tuffnut gave it to him, then tossed it soon after Tuffnut moved on.

He stopped beside Fishlegs next.

"Fishlegs, I give you my favorite bowl," he said, giving him a small ceramic bowl with designs on the rim.

"Hey, that's my bowl!" Fishlegs exclaimed upon looking at it.

"And now, now you have found it. Eat well, my friend. Eat well."

Moving passed Ruffnut, he stopped at Aric.

"Aric, Aric, Aric, what do you give the Viking who has almost everything? Here."

"Hey!" Ruffnut exclaimed as Tuffnut grabbed and lifted her out from her seat. "You can't give me away!"

"In time, she'll come to you. She's going to take this very hard and will most certainly go through a prolonged mourning period. She's gonna need a new twin brother. I nominate you."

"I'm sorry, what?" Aric questioned.

"It's a terrible job and she smells horrible. You'll have to dress like me and grow your hair long, so there are perks."

"All right, all right," Hiccup stopped all this. "What did I miss?"

"I'm just…" Tuff sighed as he stared up at the moon. "…preparing myself."

"For what?" Astrid asked.

"Astrid, have you seen that moon?" he gestured, the moon nearly full in the sky. "When it rises to its apex, which I think is a word that means the tip-top, I'm going full dragon. Tuffnut Lycanwing."

"Hahaha−" Snotlout burst out laughing, cut off when Tuffnut suddenly got in his face.

"You're a funny guy, Snotlout. I'll eat you first," he said, snarling like a maniac after.

Hiccup stood. "Tuff, we went over this. The Lycanwing is a myth. It's not real."

"You're real," Tuffnut pointed out.

"I'm not a Lycanwing! How many times do I have to say that? I don't turn into a dragon at every full moon going on a rampage, and you're not going to either. Fishlegs, will you please tell him?"

"Uh…" Fishlegs nervously shrugged, Hiccup looking at him incredulously.

"Now, I must go and say my most difficult goodbye of all," Tuffnut went on. "If you'll excuse me." And then he was gone, and Snotlout burst into fits of laughter.

"What did I tell you?" Ruffnut marched to him. "What did I tell you?! You are gonna help me fix this, Snotlout! YA HEAR ME?!" she screamed, then stormed away, feet stomping on the floor with every step.

"Wow. They can really get fired up, huh?" Snotlout said, and Hiccup glared at him, a fist closed at her side.

"Snotlout," she growled shortly.

000

Outside the stables, Tuffnut stood with Barf and Belch looking sad for some reason.

"Barf and Belch, my winged brothers," he said. "I'll see you in the friendly skies. Who knows? Maybe we'll slide down a rainbow together."

Barf and Belch looked to each other, wondering what the odder of their two riders was talking about.

"Is he dying?" Barf asked.

"He doesn't smell like he's dying," Belch said.

Chicken clucked, and they all looked down to the bird. Tuffnut seemed to know what it meant.

"Okay, you ready?" he said to her, then walked past them into the stables, Chicken following.

Belch turned to his other half. "What do we do?" he asked.

"Get Ruffnut?"

"Hmm, this should work," Tuff said as he approached one of the pens. "Good view, adequate ventilation…will keep the others safe from me when I turn." He stepped inside and locked himself and Chicken in, before sitting down on two crates.

Chicken cooed as she hopped up next to him. "I feel you, my animal brother. My last night as me," he looked out to the moon. "For tomorrow, at this time, alas, I shall no longer be human."

Barf and Belch approached the pen, concern growing.

"I will be Tuffnut. Lycanwing! Killing Machine!" he shouted, before snarling insanely, Barf and Belch startling and flying for Ruffnut.

000

The next morning, Astrid was the first to find Tuffnut in the stables when she'd gone to get Stormfly for their morning flight. Hiccup decided, since this was Gobber's fault for even mentioning the creature, he should be the one to knock him out of it. As Gobber came out of the stables however, he came with less than stellar news.

"Well, I did my best," he said. "He's not talking to anyone but that chicken. And he's convinced the moon did an apex last night, so it must be tonight."

"Talk to me, Chicken, talk to me," Tuffnut muttered like a mad man inside the pen. "What are they saying? What are they saying?!"

"Well, that's great," Hiccup sighed.

"Is that…?" Aric asked, and Hiccup turned around to where he was looking.

"Ruffnut," Hiccup said, a little confused. "Flying Hookfang?"

"Where's Snotlout?"

"There he is," Gobber pointed out. "Big lump behind her. Tear-stained face."

Hookfang crashed on the landing platform, and Ruffnut flew off as Snotlout tumbled.

"Whoa, rough one," Ruffnut got up and brushed off like it was nothing. Actually, like she enjoyed it. Snotlout, on the other hand, was face down on the ground, groaning in pain.

Hookfang huffed, steam blown out at Ruffnut as he got himself up and sauntered away, snarling insults under his breath that would be best left unsaid.

"W-what are you two doing?" Hiccup questioned the two. "We could use you right about now."

"We've been gathering samples," Ruffnut said as though it were obvious, dragging Snotlout along by his arm.

"Samples of what?" Aric asked, and Ruffnut presented said arm.

"Aah!" Hiccup yelped in horror. His arm was littered with various bites, skin puffy and red, and Snotlout in clear agony.

"Dragon bites," Ruffnut elaborated. "One of these has to match Tuff's and convince him that this Lycanwing deal is just another one of his paranoid fantasies."

"And…why is Snotlout…?" Hiccup questioned.

"He started this stupid thing," she yanked his arm down, "with his impressive, yet sinister, powers of suggestion. It's all Snotlout's fault my dopey brother thinks he's turning into a dragon."

"Ogh," Snotlout groaned.

"Well, looks like you're in this one, Snotlout," Hiccup conceded.

"Not so funny now, is it?" Ruffnut said.

"No, Ruffnut, not funny at all," Snotlout answered, then she slapped her hand onto his arm and dragged him down the platform.

"Let's go, pal," she said, Snotlout groaning sickly all the way.

"Hiccup! Hiccup!" Fishlegs flew in on Meatlug excitedly. "Oh, you're not gonna believe this. I was at my wit's end, trying to think of something, anything that could help with this, when my perfect little angel," he cooed at Meatlug, "crushed my desk and look what I found!"

Fishlegs took out a Dragon Eye lens, and Hiccup's eyes widened.

"It's the one you found in the cave with Gustav. I've been meaning to give it back to you, Hiccup. I'm usually not so irresponsible with priceless artifacts."

"Fishlegs, we have got to go see what's on it!" Hiccup exclaimed excitedly, Aric lightly rolling his eyes at the two's nerdy enthusiasm with their current situation.

000

When Barf and Belch had come to her a frantic mess, Ruffnut knew it had to do with her brother. They took her to the stables to see Tuffnut locked in one of the pens, and Ruffnut marched to Snotlout's hut, dragged him out of bed, and made Hookfang fly them all over the island to all types of various dragons. She didn't feel any bit of remorse as she made Snotlout take every single bite, all on the same arm as her brother's.

Dragging Snotlout to her brother, they found Tuffnut pacing around the pen in deep conversation with his chicken. "I'm telling you, it's not flat," he argued. "It's got to be round, or oblong at the very least. Think about it. The moon, round. Sun, round. My head, oblong."

"Uh, I hate to interrupt this fascinating debate," Ruffnut cut in. "But—"

"Stand back, sis!" Tuffnut raised his hands. "It's not safe to be around me right now. I could go at any minute."

"Yeah, whatever," Ruff rolled her eyes. "Just hold out your arm; we need to check something."

"Oh, for the love of Thor, do it," Snotlout whined as Ruffnut swung his arm through the bars. "I'm pretty sure I need serious medical attention."

"Whoa," Tuffnut awed. "What happened to you?"

"Ask her."

"What happened to him?"

"He's helping me find out what happened to you."

"I think we all know what happened to me," Tuff said ominously.

"Any day now!" Snotlout shouted.

"Hold," Ruff reached in and grabbed her brother's arm, "Still!" yanking him side by side with Snotlout's. She sighed. "Well, we can cross Terrible Terror, Night Terror, wild Nadder, and Gronckle off the list. Let's go."

Snotlout looked at her like she was crazy. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You're stark raving mad! Ah!" he yelped when she grabbed his ear.

"Let's go, I said!" she pulled, and Snotlout caved.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" he cried, moving his feet with her as she still had a strangle hold on his ear. "Ow, ow, ow!"

000

On and on throughout the day, Ruffnut dragged Snotlout around the Edge, his poor body inflicted with bite after bite from all kinds of dragons and animals. His arms were now both covered in them, and once again, as the sun was beginning to set, Ruffnut was yanking him by the arm to the stables.

"This is the last one, and I'm officially paid back," Snotlout tried to put his foot down, Ruffnut side eyeing him. "And anyway, how was I supposed to know that he'd go this crazy?"

"What?! Have you met my brother?!" Ruffnut yanked him.

"Fine. Whatever! Man, I am so glad you're not my sister."

"No," Ruffnut stopped, turning on him the most serious he had ever seen her. "You wish I was your sister. You think I'd be dragging your monkey butt all over the jungle risking your life if my brother weren't the most important thing in the world to me?! Think about that."

Painfully, Ruffnut slapped her hand on his arm again, and dragged him over to Tuffnut's cage, Snotlout feeling woozy all the way.

Inside, Tuffnut was having some sort of weird flapping contest with Chicken, Tuffnut crashing to the ground when they each took off.

"Uh…" Ruffnut gained his attention, and meanwhile, Snotlout just felt like he was gonna throw up. Nevertheless, he swung his arm through the bars, and Tuffnut lined his arm with his.

"I love the pus," Tuffnut said, awing one of the bites on his swollen arm. "What kind of bite is that?"

"Sea snake," Ruffnut answered. "Another no match."

"I don't feel so good," Snotlout moaned to himself, the nausea becoming worse, his eyes drooping and tongue feeling thick.

"Hey, aren't those things supposed to be poisonous?" Tuffnut suddenly asked.

"Don't think so," Ruffnut crossed her arms.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure they are."

"Nope, you're wrong."

"I'm pretty sure I'm not."

Vision getting blurry, Snotlout felt a wave of vertigo.

"Ogg, guys, there's definite pois…" his legs gave out, back hitting the ground with his arms and legs sprawled out, muscles uncontrollably twitching.

"Ha! Do I know my sea snakes, or what?" Tuffnut bragged in the midst of his pain, mouth dry and eyes watering as his body tried fighting the poison. "That is seriously creepy. Hey, should we check his breathing?"

"Eh…wimp," Ruffnut brushed off, then proceeded on dragging him by his leg.

000

Almost all day, Hiccup and Fishlegs worked on getting the lens they'd found to work. They tried different flames, combinations, everything. The moon had already risen, the full moon, and the two inside her hut, Fishlegs worked at the Dragon Eye more. Still, nothing.

"Errgh… Well, that's it!" he threw his hands up. "That's every combination I can think of." He put the Dragon Eye back on the table, about to walk out, when Hiccup suddenly saw a light shining through it.

"W-wait, wait! I see something," she called, and Fishlegs turned back around.

There wasn't any dragon fire, only the moonlight coming in from the opened door, and yet, despite there being no projection, the mouth of the Dragon Eye was lighting up.

"Okay. Let's try this," Hiccup suggested, and called Toothless over, leaving the moonlight streaming through it where it was. Toothless stretched as he got up, waking from a light nap, then strolled over and lit his flame. The Dragon Eye reacted, and the projection of a man with wings lit the wall.

"Now, am I crazy," Hiccup said as she stared at it with wide, yet skeptical, eyes, "Or is that a man with dragon wings instead of arms?" her voice wavered a bit.

"You're not crazy," Fishlegs seemed more intrigued, then picked up the Dragon Eye and turned one of the dials. "And there he is again, with a tail to go with the wings. Hiccup…"

"Can you make out what any of this says?" Hiccup interrupted, not really wanting to hear what she feared he'd been about to say.

"No man shall tread on these shores, lest he becomes what he has most feared. Lycanwing Island. Hiccup, this Lycanwing, it could be, well, not a myth."

Hiccup looked up at the projections before her, depictions of a man slowly turning into a dragon right before her very eyes, and yet skepticism still won out. Not unless she saw the beast for herself was Hiccup going to believe such a legend was true. Even if the dragon was real, the legends couldn't. It would undermine everything she'd worked for, everything she'd fought for.

So, with mischief coating her eyes, Hiccup looked back to her friend. "You know, that island's not far from here," she smirked, and Fishlegs grew scared.

"Why do I get the feeling we're going on a little Hiccup-Fishlegs recon mission?"

000

When he heard people coming, Tuffnut thought it was going to be his sister with Snotlout again, but instead, it was Hiccup and Fishlegs with Toothless in tow. Chicken sitting on his helmet, Tuffnut hid behind the crates.

"Okay, Fishlegs," Hiccup said as they approached Meatlug's pen. "If we actually do happen to come across a Lycanwing, we need to have really good plan."

"How about, don't get bit," Fishlegs said as he opened the door and Meatlug came barreling out, playing with Toothless a short bit. "That sounds like a good one to me."

"Fair enough," Hiccup shrugged. "Okay, Lycanwing Island, here we come."

They walked out, and Tuffnut came out from his hiding place, Chicken still on his head. "Lycanwing Island?" he questioned, and Chicken clucked at him. He looked up at her. "Okay, don't tell anyone, but I didn't actually believe it before. I was just trying to mess with their heads." He hopped out of his hiding place and Chicken flew off, landing on the ground. "You know, be quirky and eccentric, by giving away my stuff and locking us in here. Plus, I get along really well with you. HOW could I know it would come to this?! HOW could I know it was REAL?!"

And, it was at that moment, Tuffnut knew what he had to do. As Chicken tried to flee, he tackled.

000

Following the map to Lycanwing Island, Hiccup and Fishlegs landed before the mouth to a large cave. A series of stalagmites and stalactites inside made it almost look like it had teeth. It didn't help that they were doing this in the middle of the night at the height of a full moon. Still, they both dismounted.

"Okay, Toothless, give us some light," Hiccup said, and Toothless shot a plasma bolt down the cave. For a moment, nothing happened, but then a large cauldron of bats came flooding out and Fishlegs startled. They ducked out of the way, the bats passing them by into the night, and once they were gone, Hiccup stood back up. "Let's go, Fishlegs. Don't worry, I'll be right next to you the whole time."

Hiccup taking the lead, they walked to whatever awaited them.

000

"All right, this better match, 'cause I don't know how much more he can take," Ruffnut called into the stables. Snotlout was standing again, barely, but enough to walk around. Even then, Ruffnut would just drag his stupid body. He had bandages all over his left eye, Astrid advising to take it easy, but despite this, Ruffnut took him out for another round. She didn't care if he didn't feel good. As far as she was concerned, Snotlout deserved it. As the two stepped into the dark building, though, Ruffnut noticed something odd.

"Tuff?" she called again, the room far too quiet, then her eyes widened at something else. "Do you see what I see, Snotlout?" she said, fear and worry coating every word.

"I don't know," Snotlout whined. "I think I've gone blind from all the venom."

The door to the pen was opened.

"He's out," Ruffnut went inside, the pen left empty. "Tuffnut on the loose. This is bad. This is very bad."

000

Wandering through the forest, Tuffnut could feel the moon changing him, feral instincts overriding his sanity.

"Raagh!" he fought under its light. "I can't be contained, Chicken. Look at that moon. In a matter of…hours," he growled, "it will finally apex, and I will be transformed into a great scaly beast, with nothing to do but feast on my prey!"

He roared again, his senses coming alive like never before. "Ah, it's like all my senses are alive for the first time! I can feel things, see things, hear things I've never been able to before!" Was this what it was like for Hiccup all the time? These overwhelming sensations, the overwhelming sense of freedom, of savagery that compelled him to go wild into the night. If so, she was much stronger than he, for he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back much longer. Not as the moon beat down on him, the venom of the Lycanwing changing him with every second that passed.

Gently, he took Chicken's wing into his hand, and they ventured into the mist. It was time they embraced destiny.

000

The further Fishlegs and Hiccup wandered through the cave, the more cave drawings they came across, all painted in red and littering the walls. The further they went in, the more Fishlegs panicked too, especially as he read what'd been written.

"Beware the beast. Turn back before you become him. Your fate is sealed! Did you hear that, Hiccup?! Our fate is sealed!"

"Fishlegs, we're fine," Hiccup assured. "It's just an old cave drawing."

"I can't believe we're gonna die chasing an imaginary dragon."

"Not imaginary. Look," Toothless growled low, and looking up, the shadow of a dragon stood before them, large and imposing.

"Uh, Hiccup? There it is!" Fishlegs yelped, reaching for Meatlug. "Oh, if I have to go, girl, I'm glad it's with you."

"Alright, Toothless, light," Hiccup barked, and Toothless shot a plasma blast at one of the stalactites above. She and Toothless stood ready, but as another second passed and the dragon didn't so much as move or make a sound, Hiccup knew something was off. Nothing alive could be making that shadow. So then, what was?

She turned around, and what she saw confirmed everything...and more.

"Look," she said. "It's eyes."

"I am not looking into that thing's eyes! Do you know me?!"

"Fishlegs!" Hiccup said in amusement. "Would you just look?"

Casting the shadow was a statue resembling a dragon, and Hiccup kneeling before it, she grabbed hold of one of its eyes and pulled.

"Hiccup, are those…?" Fishlegs stepped up and reached for the second one, Hiccup already yanking hers out. They held them up side by side, and Hiccup finished her friend's question, answering it at the same time.

"Dragon Eye lenses."

They immediately flew back. With the Lycanwing now proven to be a myth, Tuffnut had to listen to reason. When they reached the landing platform outside the stables, however, Astrid was sliding the doors shut.

"Astrid, how's Tuff doing?" Hiccup asked carefully, wondering why she was shutting the doors.

Astrid snorted. "Gone. He and Chicken flew the coop few hours ago. Was shouting something about taking flight off the tallest cliff when he went full dragon."

"And you didn't try to stop him?"

"I was busy," Astrid defended.

"Busy doing what?" Fishlegs asked.

"Extracting sea snake venom from Snotlout," she showed the syringe. "Ha! You should've heard him. Sounded like a yak that was being turned inside out," she laughed, then sighed. "It was great."

"Well, we better go tell Ruffnut," Hiccup said, but Astrid shot that plan too.

"Nope. Gone too. Went to look for the muttonhead. Said whether he was a dragon or not, he wouldn't survive 'the flight'. Then she dragged Snotlout with her. Personally, I'd be surprised if he makes the trip. Man is not looking too good."

000

"I don't know if Astrid got it all," Snotlout whined through the forest. He'd been whining the whole way, and Ruffnut was seriously getting annoyed. "I'm starting to feel a little woozy, and all I see is fog."

"It's foggy, you muttonhead. Hurry up, Snotlout, before Tuffnut jumps off a cliff or something!"

"You think when he's a full Lycanwing, he'll remember all the nasty stuff I said to him?"

"Well, he did say he was gonna eat you first. Hopefully it'll be quick. No, actually, I hope it'll be slow and painful."

"RAAAHHHH!" something suddenly jumped out at them from the trees.

" "Ah!" " they both startled, when Ruffnut realized it was Tuffnut, hanging upside down, roaring and snarling all feral-like with Chicken held in his hands.

"I am Lycanwing!" he shouted. "Run. Run for your lives..."

"AHH!" Snotlout flailed and ran like a coward, Ruffnut looking back at him with disgust.

"Oh, gods," she scoffed, before a rustling in the trees alerted her to Tuff, her brother gone. Without a second thought, she ran after him.

"TUFFNUT!" she screamed. "Get back here! I command thee, Lycanwing! Ogh…slow down…" She slowed to a stop, panting as she doubled over. "Slow down…"

000

Snotlout ran as fast as he could, adrenaline keeping him going. Eventually, he stopped, needing to more than wanting to. He was panting, body protesting all this moving as nausea still plagued him. Then there was rustling, and a growl that followed.

"Tuff?" he asked nervously. "Is that you? Buddy?"

One step, and then…

"AHHHHHHH!"

000

"Ouuuu! Ou, ou, ouuuuu!" Tuffnut howled before the moon, standing upon a cliff's edge. "The apex is upon us! Come on, do it with me, Chicken. It feels so good! And we only have a few moments left till we can fly! FLY! Riding high, the currents of the wind blowing through our hair! Well, I mean, your feathers, you have feathers, not hair. FREE from the bonds that bind humankind!"

Chicken looked up at him, scared with what they were about to do, and Tuffnut wavered a moment.

"We have to fly away, right? I would never forgive myself if I ate the other Dragon Riders. I mean, on the other hand though, I'm sure that as a dragon, I would find them delicious. Especially that Fishlegs. Good Thor, he looks like a marshmallow. Flesh colored with a little hair on the top. Ahghahhh! It's happening. It's happening, I can feel it! Are you ready, Chicken? Are you finally ready to be free?!"

Closing his eyes, Tuff lifted his foot over the edge.

"TUFF, don't do it!" the voice of his sister screamed, and Tuffnut stopped.

"Uggh, we've been through this, Chicken," he exclaimed. "Don't try and impersonate my sister. We made a pact. I'm doing it, and you're coming with me."

"Tuffnut, it's me," the voice spoke again, and Tuffnut paused. Was it really? "Look at me, bro," it said again, and he did. It was. "You can fight this," she said.

"I can't, sis," he shook his head. "You don't know the hold it has on me. It has its claws in me."

"What if we fight it together? We do everything together; we always have."

The fantasy his sister painted sounded wonderful, beautiful even, but it was only that…a fantasy.

"Look," she went on, "I refuse to spend the rest of my life doing anything alone. Do you hear me?!"

Tuffnut couldn't take it. He began to whimper and sob, wishing things could be different. "You always were the brave one," he said. "Mom should have named you Tuffnut."

"But she didn't. She named you Tuff. I'm begging you! And you know how much I hate to beg! Just get down from there!"

"It's too late to stop the…" Tuff fought as much as he could, "...metamorphosis. Can you not see what I've become?! Beheheheheh!"

"Tuff, stop!" Hiccup now swooped in, followed by Fishlegs, Aric, and Astrid. Toothless touched down, and Hiccup swung off. "There is no metamorphosis, alright? You are not turning into a dragon. Fishlegs, please tell him."

"It's true! We found the cave of the Lycanwing. It was just a myth to keep people away from these," Fishlegs said and brought out two Dragon Eye lenses.

"No," Tuff shook. "No! I don't believe you. Look at me. I'm hideous. Terrifying!"

"Tuff, you're not hideous," Astrid objected. "Terrifying at times, yes. But hideous? No."

"Well, then how do you explain this?" Tuffnut swung his arm out, displaying the bite for everyone to see.

No one had anything to say, and Tuffnut pulled back.

"Can't do it, can you? That's what I thought. Now, if you'll excuse me−"

"Wa-wa-wait. Wait. I can explain it. I can explain it," Snotlout panted and stumbled out from the woods, a bag dragging along the ground.

"Whoa. You look worse than I do."

"Uh, Snotlout?" Hiccup asked. "What do you have in that bag?"

"I have what did this!" he exclaimed and threw out his arm, the same bite marking it.

"Ah!" Tuffnut yelped. "The Lycanwing got him too. Save yourselves!"

"It's not a Lycanwing. It's not even a dragon. It's a wolf, and I caught him. You're not turning into a dragon, Tuff."

"I'm not? I'm not!"

"That's what we've been trying to tell you," Hiccup said.

"I just made you think that! But it's not true. It's funny, but it's not true."

Tuffnut grinned. Feeling more like himself again, everything melting away, he moved to run back to his sister, when the ground suddenly gave way.

000

They all gasped as Tuffnut fell, and without even thinking Hiccup flew off and dove for him, getting a hold of his foot and abruptly stopping his decent, but Chicken jostled out from Tuffnut's arms.

"NO!" he screamed as Chicken fell away from his grasp. Hiccup did her best to keep them steady, and as she did, he reached his hand out and saved Chicken with the same move, grabbing hold of one her feet.

"Don't worry, buddy, I got you," he said as she clucked and flapped. "We're going home, Chicken. We're going home."

Hiccup's wings flapped strenuously, doing her best to keep them in the air and back to their friends. She looked over to the cliff, and knowing she wouldn't be able to keep them both up and maneuver them back to safety at the same time, Hiccup used everything she had to instead swing and toss Tuffnut back to solid ground. He crashed to the grass of the cliff, Chicken safe as she flapped and landed on her feet, and Ruffnut barreled into him with a hug from behind.

"Oh, I know what you're gonna say. You realize how much you love me, you were scared you were gonna lose me, and I better never do that again."

"Actually," Ruffnut turned him around and grabbed the sides of his face. "I was just going to tell you what an idiot you are. Come here," she pulled him in for another hug, and as Hiccup landed back to the cliff, Ruffnut looked over his shoulder to her. "Thank you," she whispered, and Hiccup smiled in return.

Then, Tuffnut pulled away and turned back around to Hiccup, questions clear on his face.

"I don't get it, H. I wasn't even turning into a dragon and I was losing my mind to the call of the wild. How do you make it look so easy?"

Hiccup shook her head. "It was all in your head, Tuff," she poked his head. "Even if you were turning into a dragon, I don't believe you would have been a monster. It'd go against everything dragons are. Fierce," she hooked an arm around Toothless, "but loyal to the ones they care about."

It was then Aric noticed the bag Snotlout left behind, the bag that was now open. "Uh, Snotlout, where's the wolf?"

"AHHH!"

Today just wasn't Snotlout's day.


Wow. I just plowed through this. Can I keep the momentum going? Who knows!