"OK, ruby, plus lens seven, plus Night Fury plasma, equals…" Hiccup trailed off as he and I experimented with the Eye Shield. He'd built a stand for it, allowing us to turn the rim and gems, and allow us to not have to hold it up whilst using it. "Nothing." He sighed, as the purple light filtered through the red gem to create a jumbled mess miniature rainbows on the wall of the clubhouse.
"Well, I think we can safely say that Toothless' fire doesn't mix with the ruby." I said, jotting that down into the notebook we kept specifically for the Eye Shield. "Nights?" I asked the dragon laying in the corner. She opened an eye at the mention of her name. "You mind?" I asked, gesturing to the eye shield. She hefted herself up, stretching and yawning almost like a dog, complete with all of her teeth on display, before trotting over to the eye shield, letting a low flame burn in her mouth.
"OK, ruby, plus lens seven, plus Deathstorm plasma, equals maps." Hiccup said, standing up at the sight of the new images.
"I think that's the fogbank where Heather and I found this thing." I approached the images. "Yeah, that's the Leviathan." I point at the ship in the centre. "These are the longboats behind it." I drifted my finger along. "And this is the English Galley that Heather and I landed on after we got out of there." I went on.
"There's more as well. Lots more." Hiccup added. He was right. There were plenty of ships in that fogbank.
"Maybe there's more to be found there?" I suggested.
"Maybe. There could be clues hidden in these images." Hiccup gave them a once over. "Well, we'll put a pin in that one until we understand this thing a bit better." He said, getting a nod from me as I jotted down.
"So, shall we try a different kind of fire?" I suggest.
"Did someone say, fire?" A voice that made me groan in annoyance said as a certain Monstrous Nightmare landed at the platform of the clubhouse. "Hey guys! How's it going? I heard you're in need of some fiery help." Snotlout grinned as he hopped off of Hookfang. Ever since he saved the Fireworm Queen from the Cavern Crasher, just three days ago I might add, he's been on an ego bender like never before.
"Thanks Snotlout, but I think we're OK." Hiccup gave an eyeroll.
"Hey, you're always complaining that I never do anything around her. Well, I'm volunteering now, aren't I?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Hookfang huffed a puff of smoke into his Rider's face. "We. We're volunteering." He corrected himself, fixing his helmet. "Needy dragon."
"I think we were just wrapping up anyway." I said with a forced smile as I shut the notebook I held.
"Don't be so twitchy!" Snotlout scoffed as he and Hookfang approached the Eye Shield. "Light it up Hookie!" He said with crossed arms and grin.
"No, Snotlout you need-" Hiccup tried to stop him, but Hookfang ignited his flame jacket, putting a little too much juice into it.
"Snotlout!" I snapped in annoyance as Hiccup and I ducked under the wave of flame. Nightshade roared at the Nightmare, her tail lashing forward as the flames burst outwards from Hookfang. It nicked him right at his ribs, and his torso went limp, his flame jacket dispersing.
"Hookfang!" Snotlout screamed, sprinting to his dragon. "Talk to me Hookie!" he pleaded, his hands on the Nightmare's jaw. Hookfang's only response was a groan, his tongue hanging out. "What is wrong with your dragon?!" He demanded of me.
"Relax, it's temporary." I scoffed, wiping soot from the walls off of my shoulders. "Perhaps we ought to ask what's wrong with you?" I glared. "You let a dragon that lights itself on fire, ignite in the middle of a wooden building." I gesture to the clubhouse around us. "Did you not think that maybe having half the clubhouse scorched was undesirable?" I asked redundantly.
"The clubhouse is fine." He shot back. "Hookfang, not so much!" He pointed to his dragon, who was dragging his torso across the ground in a circle, his hindquarters being the only things that work.
"Be glad she just nicked him." I sighed in frustration. "That'll wear off in about half an hour. A full sting would have him completely immobilised for hours." I gave a warning sneer.
"Enough, enough!" Hiccup got between us. "Snotlout, I'm not thrilled about Nightshade striking Hookfang either," That got him a hiss from said dragon. "But Seth's right, you could have burnt down the whole clubhouse." I pointed to the wall where the Eye Shield's images had been projected. "We might even have to replace this wall."
"Come on, it's not that big a deal." Snotlout waved him off.
"And what if Viggo were to attack us right now? A half-scorched clubhouse wouldn't be any good then." Hiccup reasoned.
"Call me an optimist, but I like to think of it more as half un-scorched." Snotlout responded with a nonchalant shrug.
"Then consider your dragon half un-paralysed, and get him out of here." I said, earning a glare. "I need something to drink." I sighed, rubbing my temple.
"You know what? Me too." Hiccup reflected my exasperation.
"Down Skullcrusher!" A new voice that I'd never heard resounded from outside the clubhouse. The following slam against the wood of the floor suggested a rather large dragon had just set down. We all looked out the open door, to see a massive, armour-plated dragon, with bright green scales and three rounded red horns. A Rumblehorn.
On top of that dragon, quite literally, a large man sat on a saddle, and he slipped off. He was a massive monster of a man, even taller and bulkier than Ryker. I had no idea human beings could grow this big. He had a giant, braided ginger beard, and wore a blue tunic with a large brown belt, and two round pauldrons on his shoulders.
"Dad!" Hiccup exclaimed with a surprised smile as the man approached.
"We need to talk." He said with a low growl. Oof, he was definitely mad about something.
"Oh, yeah, sure, just let me-"
"Not you." The man interrupted his son. "You." He pointed at Snotlout.
"Me?" Snotlout pointed at his own chest, nervousness evident in his voice. It was at this moment that the beast of a man noticed my presence.
"Huh, a new face." He gave me a once over. "You must be the stray Saxon Dragon Hunter my son picked up." he said, approaching.
So this was Stoick the Vast.
"I wouldn't quite put it that way, but yes." I said dryly. "Seth Bishop. Good to meet you Sir." I held out my hand. He gave me a critical gaze for a moment before responding in kind.
"Stoick Haddock. Likewise." He responded, shaking my hand. Damn, he's got a tight grip. "Interesting dragon you've got there, son." He said, taking note of Nightshade's presence. She hissed at him, her tusks slipping out. "Feisty too."
"Don't mind her, she's just testy around new people." I say as I place a hand on my dragon's forehead, calming her, if only slightly.
"Now then, Snotlout." Stoick turned his attention to the Nightmare rider. "Let's talk about your father."
"Spitelout has always been, well…" Stoick trailed off, trying not to badmouth a man who wasn't around in front of said man's son.
"Annoying?" Snotlout finished for him as Stoick paced in front of us.
"That's one word for it." Stoick scoffed in annoyance. "Try 'insufferable.' Nothing is ever easy with him! He's second guessing me and trying to show me up!" Stoick griped. I got the feeling he'd been holding this in for a long time. "He once burnt down the whole village after not listening to me when I told to mind the torches in the gales!"
"Sounds like quite the character." I commented dryly.
"Quite the character indeed." Stoick huffed. "Can you imagine dealing with that?!"
"No, not at all." Hiccup matched my dry tone. We shared a snicker as Snotlout glared at us.
"Ever since he joined Astrid's Auxiliary Riders, he's been intolerable beyond anything else before." Stoick went on. "He suddenly has ideas on improving everything! Most of which are considerably above his pay grade, as well as his station in life!"
"I hear that." Snotlout agreed, surprisingly.
"His most recent proposal was a secret off-Berk cache of emergency provisions and supplies." Stoick said.
"Call me the Devil's advocate if you will, but that doesn't sound like the worst idea." I noted.
"Oh, is that what you think?" Stoick crossed his arms at me.
"I don't know. What do you think?" I asked. He narrowed his eyes at me for a moment before sighing.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea if he wasn't talking about every single day!" He growled. "That man is beyond unaware and pig-headed!"
"OK, now that I can understand." I nodded.
"Welcome to my world." Snotlout commented. We all gave him a blank look before Stoick continued.
"Anyway, I finally told the old pain in my arse to start searching for an island to build his storehouse, but there's a problem." Stoick told us.
"Being?" Hiccup asked.
"He hasn't returned." Was the answer.
"Relax Chief, he's a Jorgenson. He can handle himself." Snotlout said confidently.
"It's been a month, son." Stoick said grimly.
"A month!" Snotlout practically screeched. "You didn't say it was a month!"
"Calm down Snotlout." Hiccup placed a hand on Snotlout's shoulder.
"Is there any indication of where he went?" I asked.
"Just this." Stoick pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from his belt. "Seems to be some kind of coded message."
"Well, I think we can decipher it." Hiccup frowned as Stoick unrolled the parchment.
"Ok, that hurts to look at." I grimaced at the sight of the dishevelled mess of charcoal on the parchment.
"That's no code, it's just my Dad's Thor-awful handwriting." For once, Snotlout and I agreed. "Not to mention that grammar, ugh."
"Can you tell me where to look, or not?" Stoick asked impatiently.
"I can, and I'm going with you." Snotlout said with no room for argument. "What kind of son would be if I stayed here while my dad could be in trouble?" He took the parchment and marched over to Hookfang, who was no longer paralysed. "Besides, I can rub it in his face for once." He gave a grin.
"I think Seth and I should tag along." Hiccup said. "For back-up."
"Sure, I mean it's not like I have anything else to do." I raised an eyebrow as Hiccup walked over to Toothless.
"Uuuuh…" He trailed off, not quite sure what to say.
"I'm kidding." I say with a smirk as I prop myself up onto Nightshade's back. "Let's ride."
Since Arrow still couldn't fly on his own, and this was going to be a rather long flight by itself, I decided to leave him with Astrid whilst Hiccup, Stoick, and myself followed Snotlout as he led us to the island that his father's note described. He was uncannily quiet, especially for Snotlout. He's usually the most boisterous of the Dragon Riders, save for the twins when they have something to destroy. He must be worried for his father. He hasn't told Hookfang to light up even once to try and flex on me. I mean, that would usually result in Nightshade lighting up herself, making Hookfang back off, and Snotlout knows that, but he still does it. Not today though.
"Snotlout, I'm sure Spitelout is fine. We'll find him." Hiccup decided to break the silence, trying to reassure Snotlout.
"I know, Hiccup. He's my Dad." Snotlout tried to maintain a confident demeanor, but the fear he held was visible. "He's a Jorgenson, of course he's fine." He added, pushing forward. "There!" He suddenly pointed in the distance. We were approaching an island, one with a small number of sea stacks surrounding it, and a rather tall cliff on the side. Without a word, we all sped up towards the island. We flew over the forest, looking around the place before something caught my eye.
"What is that?" I asked as a wooden structure came into our field of vision. We all slowed down as we approached, circling above the building.
"Wasn't Spitelout supposed to be on a reconnaissance mission?" Hiccup asked as we saw the entrance. It had the same red, metal viking 'S' symbol hanging over it that Snotlout had on his hut at the Edge.
"He was." Stoick confirmed, displeasure evident in his tone.
"It's called 'initiative' Hiccup." Snotlout piped up snottily. Pun intended.
"Or insubordination." Stoick growled as we all landed before the building. "Spitelout!" He called out.
"Dad!" Snotlout followed suit as we all dismounted. Hiccup approached the door and opened it, peeking inside for a few seconds. Turning to face his father, he shook his head in the negative. Spitelout wasn't inside.
"Anyone else hear that?" I asked, removing my mask as I heard a strange, familiar groaning sound. I could barely hear it, but it was there. Stoick gestured to the side of the building, and I nodded in response, jogging over to right side of the building, where the sound was coming from, Nightshade right behind me. I stopped when I saw the source. It was a yak, standing right in front of what looked like a catapult. "Hm…" I hummed in thought.
"This looks familiar." Snotlout said as he approached. "It's giving me Asia Fondue." He crossed his arms, looking at the yak.
"I think you mean deja vu, Snotlout." Hiccup sighed.
"That's what I said!" Snotlout retorted as Hiccup approached the yak. "Oh! I remember! It's the Jorgenson Yakmaster!" He exclaimed, approaching as well. "Nice work Dad!" He grinned with his hands on his hips.
"Jorgenson Yakmaster?" I asked, my eyebrows raised as Snotlout stepped closer to the yak, Hookfang and Toothless following suit.
"It's a highly specialised, specifically designed-" His sentence was cut short when a snapping sound was suddenly heard, and the catapult's shaft flipped up, but instead of flinging a rock, it brought up a big net that captured Hiccup and Snotlout, as well as their dragons. "Dragon trap." Snotlout wheezed out as they hung there.
That wasn't even the weirdest part. The weirdest part was that the net was connected to the yak's hind leg, and the yak was busy grazing on a particularly stubborn plant. Apparently that was enough to keep the trap from flinging all the way up, but only for a moment. After some struggling from Hiccup and Snotlout inside the net, the yak finally let go of the plant, resulting in the tension of the rope springing back, and flinging the yak into the air, leaving the net hanging even higher than before.
"Tough yak." I commented off-handedly as the yak landed on the other side of the trap. It just got up and kept grazing.
"Fantastic." Stoick facepalmed as he approached. "Give me a moment Son, let me think." He said, turning to me. "Any ideas?"
"I've got this." I said casually as I pulled my bow off of my back and slipped an arrow from my quiver.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Be careful where you're aiming that thing!" Snotlout yelled at me as I notched the arrow and pulled back.
"Hold still, and this will be a lot easier." I told him, aiming at the arrow.
"Why is there a dragon trap here?" Hiccup asked in annoyance as he tried to do what I said, but the other three occupants made that difficult. Suddenly, I heard a loud, distant roar. "Oh my Thor… Dad! Seth!" He called out to us as Stoick and I turned around. Circling above us in the air, was a large orange dragon.
Its body was long, ovular, and flat, with a long tail, and four wings, the rearmost wings being bigger and longer. Its head was round and pointy, like a chameleon with a snout. It also had four short and stubby legs.
"Odin's Ghost!" Stoick whispered at the sight.
"That's a Singetail." I said, stowing the arrow I held.
"You know this thing?" Stoick asked. I nodded in the affirmative. "Then get up there and get rid of it. I'll stay here and watch them." He gestured to the other two with his thumb. I nodded and snapped my fingers. Nightshade immediately brought her tail to my hand and lifted me to her saddle. With that, we were off.
The Singetail roared at Nightshade, probably not recognising her for what she is, and tossed a couple of fireballs from its tail at us.
"Nightshade, Lightning!" I yelled. Nightshade roared as her Lightning Jacket ignited, and she shot a bolt of lightning at the fireballs, neutralising them, and following after the Singetail. "Again!" I yelled. Nightshade complied, firing a bolt of lightning and hitting the Singetail's back. It was a relatively weak bolt, so it wasn't downed, but it did change directions, seemingly fleeing. With that, Nightshade and I landed next to Stoick and Skullcrusher.
"Impressive firepower there." Stoick complimented as I grabbed an arrow again.
"Thank you." I said, aiming for the rope bearing Snotlout and Hiccup once again. Before I could fire, I could hear the Singetail's roar again as it approached. "Son of a bitch!" I sighed in English as I turned Nightshade to face where the Singetail was coming from. "Alright Nights, ready another blast." I said. Immediately, Nightshade's Lightning Jacket came back, and her mouth filled with lightning. The Singetail stopped, hovering before us, letting out a loud roar before it fling another barrage of fireballs at us. "Now!" I yelled. Once again, Nightshade's lightning neutralised the Singetail's attack, and right as it was about to attack again, another dragon came into play.
"Come and get me you hideous beast!" A man, riding a Nadder, roared as he shot past the Singetail's line of sight and circled around. That could only be Spitelout. The Singetail took the invitation, roaring in rage before chasing after him. He dodged the blasts from the SIngetail expertly.
"Go Skullcrusher!" Stoick yelled as he jumped onto his dragon's back.
"Stoick, no!" I yelled after him, pushing Nightshade to chase after them. I didn't like leaving Hiccup and Snotlout behind, but I had to prioritise. They were fine where they were. For the moment.
"Stoick, leave us be!" Spitelout yelled as he continued to dodge the Singetail's blasts. "You don't understand!"
"Skullcrusher, fire!" Stoick ordered his dragon, who fired two blasts at the Singetail. They connected with the beast's back, but barely slowed it down, and in response, its eyes flipped backwards, staring right at Stoick and I. "Whoa! Can't say I saw that one coming." Stoick pulled back in surprise. Right then, the Singetail whipped its tail, flinging more fireballs at us.
"Nightshade, Lightning!" I ordered. With a roar, Nightshade shot another bolt of lightning, tearing through the fireballs and hitting the Singetail, this time with much more power. The Singetail roared in pain as it lost its balance, plummeting to the ground, knocking over a few trees in the process. It managed to get itself to its feet, shaking the leaves and branches off before looking up at us and roaring in disdain. After that, it took off and fled.
"Hah! Nice firing boyo!" Spitelout said with a grin as he approached on his dragon. "Can't get too comfortable though. It'll be back. It always is." he warned us before flying off back to the storehouse.
"Some beast, isn't it?" Spitelout asked as he, Stoick, and I landed back at the storehouse, where Hiccup and Snotlout were still dangling from the dragon trap. "Been tangling with that thing for the past week!"
"That's all you have to say, Spitelout?" Stoick demanded of the man as I approached the trap, once again pulling out an arrow and notching it. "You almost got us roasted alive!"
"I tried to warn you to back off!" Spitelout retorted as I aimed. "But as usual, you ignored me, and did as you liked!"
"I did what I liked!?" Stoick repeated, outraged. At that moment, I released the bowstring, and Hiccup and Snotlout, along with their dragons, fell to the ground as the net unravelled around them.
"Thanks Seth." Hiccup said with a groan, dusting himself.
"Yeah, thanks for all the bruises." Snotlout said saltily as he tried to click his spine, his discomfort evident.
"A couple of bruises is nothing compared to the burning flesh I was barely able to avoid thanks to your father." Stoick growled at Snotlout, though he was facing Spitelout.
"Avoid you say?! You're lucky your new Rider and his stormy friend were there to save your sorry behind!" Spitelout shot back with a scoff. "Speaking of which…" He trailed, approaching me as I stowed my bow on my back. "Good to meet you lad." he held out his hand. "Spitelout Jorgenson, and this is Kingstail." He gestured to his dragon as we shook hands.
"Seth Bishop. This is Nightshade." I gestured to the Deathstorm.
"Charmed." He looked at her with apprehension. "Now, why don't you tell me how you managed to make the beast's fire disappear like that?" He asked with an eager sparkle in his eye.
"How about not?" Stoick cut in before I could say anything. "Why don't you tell us why we had to come save you from that thing?"
"I don't recall asking for your help, Stoick." Spitelout sneered.
"When you disappear for a month, I consider that an invitation." Stoick crossed his arms.
"Oh don't pretend you've ever given the fiery crack of a dragon's behind about me!" Spitelout shot back.
"Gentlemen, please." I stepped in between them. "We have a bigger problem here; the Singetail."
"He's right. It will be back." Spitelout said, stepping away from Stoick.
"I'm afraid that's the least of our issues." I said as I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Oh really? What could possibly be worse than a big flame-happy dragon that can fire from both ends?" Snotlout asked with a scoff.
"How about a whole herd of them?" I suggested facetiously, making his eyes go wide.
"A herd?" Stoick repeated.
"Singetails are pack dragons. That guy was just a scout." I said, pointing in the direction the Singetail had fled.
"A scout?" Hiccup repeated. Like father, like son.
"Where there's one Singetail, there's usually a crap load more on their way." I gesture to the smoke in the distance. "It's been setting fires?" I asked Spitelout.
"All over the place." He confirmed. "I'd have taken the beast down by now if I hadn't spent half the past week putting those fires out." He grumbled.
"Fires? What, is he marking his territory?" Hiccup asked. I shook my head.
"He's signalling his pack. He's been looking for a new home, and he's decided to settle in here." I point to the ground. "If he's been around for a week, then I'd wager his pack will be here in less than a day."
"The storehouse was here first!" Spitelout protested.
"They're not gonna care." I shrug in response.
"So how do we get rid of it?" He asked, eying Nightshade. "That dragon of yours seems to be the perfect match against it. I've never seen the Singetail's fire just blasted out of existence like that." He said with a smirk.
"Nightshade is half Skrill." I told him, getting a grimace in response. "Skrills are the natural predator of the Singetail. Their lightning is one of the only things that can neutralize the blast of such a powerful dragon."
"A Skrill, I should've known." Spitelout groaned.
"Not a fan I take it?" I asked with a smirk.
"So long as she ain't electrocuting my skull and making me talk gibberish, I'm perfectly fine with them." He gave Nightshade a calculating look, one she responded to with a hiss. "She's feisty, I like that. So, here's the plan-" He started, but was cut off.
"The plan, Spitelout, is to leave." Stock cut in with a growl. "We're not staying where a pack of fire snorting reptiles are about to set their feet in." He got a displeased rumble from Skullcrusher in response. "No offense, boy."
"Would you ever abandon what you built with your own two hands?" Spitelout asked with crossed arms. "You wouldn't, Stoick. A double standard if I ever saw one."
"Yeah, you Haddocks are such control freaks." Snotlout piped up. "When was the last time you ever gave us Jorgensons any respect?"
"How about when I married one?" Stoick growled.
"Don't bring my sister into this, Stoick." Spitelout growled in response.
Oh, I see. I remember there was mention of Hiccup and Snotlout being cousins in the original books. That would mean that Valka was Spitelout's sister, making him Stoick's brother-in-law. I guess there might be some resentment over her being taken by the dragons, on top of the usual tension between in-laws.
"We wouldn't have to be such control freaks if certain people, not mentioning names, weren't so out of control." Hiccup shot back at Snotlout.
"You guys are cousins?" I ask, mostly for clarification.
"To my absolute shame, yes." They said to me in unison, before glaring at each other.
"Never would have guessed." I said dryly. "Listen, Singetails aside, this is a good location for an emergency cache."
"Thank you, boyo." Spitelout puffed his chest up.
"However, it's not going to do Berk any good with that beast flying about." I went on.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Stoick crossed his arms. The glaring contest between him and Spitelout seemed to be getting more and more intense.
"Now, given all the time and resources put into building the place, shouldn't we at least try to preserve it?" I suggest.
"He makes a good point." Hiccup conceded. Stoick glared at him. "I-I mean, there's five of us, plus five dragons, against that one Singetail. If we can drive it away, or relocate it, maybe we can stop the pack from coming?" He suggested.
"Well, I suggest we make a choice quickly, because we've got company!" I point out to the distance. With a roar, the Singetail came soaring right back at us. "Duck!" I yelled as it flung several more fireballs at us. The fireballs flew right over our heads as we hit the floor, doing some damage to the storehouse and the surrounding grass. "We have to get in the air. We're sitting ducks down here." I said, following the beast with my eyes.
"I agree. Wait for it to pass over again, and when it turns, get to your dragons." Hiccup said to us all the Singetail came in for another attack.
"I'm not waiting for that thing to destroy what's mine!" Spitelout snarled back, dashing towards his dragon and mounting up, Snotlout right behind him.
"Well, alright then." Hiccup's response was dry.
"What on Thor's green earth made you think they'd listen to you?" Stoick asked before we all mounted our dragons and took off.
"Seth, anything you can come up with would be good right now!" Hiccup told me as well flew towards the Singetail, which was in a close quarter firefight with Snotlout and Spitelout.
"Attack from above!" I told them, getting two nods in response as I pulled an arrow from my quiver.
Whilst Snotlout and Spitelout kept its attention, Hiccup and Stoick soared right past it, hovering over it and hitting its back with fire blasts. This got its attention, turning its eye back to find the source, but it only found them when it turned upwards, putting Hiccup and Stoick in its line of sight. This created an opening for Snotlout and Spitlout to attack again, and as the beast spun around, flinging fireballs from both its mouth and its tail. This provided me the perfect opportunity to fire, and the beast jerked as my arrow lodged itself in its belly. It let out a pained and disoriented scream, flying off unstably, crashing into more than a few trees along the way.
"That thing had eyes at the back of its head!" Snotlout yelled as we all landed.
"And it fires from both its mouth, and its tail." Hiccup added.
"You didn't think to tell us that when you were rambling on about it?" Snotlout demanded of me with a snarl.
"Well I would have if it hadn't attacked us at the most inopportune moment." I shot back defensively.
"Ah, we can take him." Spitelout said dismissively. "Come one Boyo." He said to his son, ready to take off.
"No, Spitelout." Hiccup shot that idea down immediately. "This is not a conventional dragon, we can't fight it conventionally." He said seriously, turning to me. "Seth, what kind of weaknesses does this thing have?" He asked.
"Well, as you all saw, if you have it's attention, you approach from above the head, but other than that, it doesn't really have a blind spot." I started. "And before you suggest the belly, no." I shook my head, knowing what Hiccup was about to suggest. "That thing has gills that it can fire from on its belly, at the chest area, and right underneath the tail."
"There goes that idea." Hiccup sighed.
"The arrow I shot it with only had a low dose of Dragon Root. A dragon that size will shrug it off very quickly." I informed them with a frown. "There's only one thing I can think of that can help; altitude." I said.
"Altitude you say?" Spitelout asked, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Every dragon has an altitude limit; a maximum height they can reach. Singletails have one of the lowest." I explained. "If you grab its attention, and fly straight up, I can hit it with a higher dose." I gesture to my quiver, my bow still in my hand. "And I do have arrows with lethal doses of Nightshade's venom, in case of emergency." I added.
"Yeah, we're not doing that." Hiccup said sternly.
"Just making it known, nothing more." I assure him.
"Alright, the three of us will draw it out, Hiccup will stay on Seth's wing while we build altitude, and Seth will take the shot." Stoick ordered all of us.
"The non-lethal shot." Hiccup gave me a pointed look.
"Yes, Hiccup, the non-lethal shot." I rolled my eyes. "I'm not some dragon-killing maniac." I grumbled under my breath.
"Fine, let's go." Spitelout scoffed, pushing off. The rest of us followed.
"See what I mean?" Spitelout asked as we flew over a number of burning trees. "The thing sets fires wherever it goes. At least now I know why." He said.
"If the pack wasn't on its way already, it will be now." I warned them all.
"There!" Spitelout pointed in the distance. "Let's go!" He yelled, soaring towards it, Snotlout and Stoick close behind. Following the plan, Hiccup and I pushed downwards, gliding just over the trees as we watched the other three attack the Singetail.
"Let's hope this works." Hiccup said as I drew another arrow, this one with a stronger dose of Dragon Root. I notched the arrow, ready to aim as soon as I saw them climb. After a few tense moments of exchanging fire with the Singetail, Snotlout and Spitelout flew straight up, with the Singetail hot on their tail, and Stoick following it, being mindful of the tail. Immediately, Hiccup and I followed after, keeping a good distance while Stoick kept the tail's fire off of us. As we climbed higher, I could see the Singetail's speed begin to falter. "Remember-" Hiccup started as I drew my bowstring.
"Non-lethal, yes." I sighed in exasperation as I aimed. Right as I saw the Singetail fall back, having reached its altitude limit, I released the arrow. Unfortunately, fate seemed to have different plans. The very second I released the arrow, a fireball collided with Nightshade's side, and while we were sent spinning through the air, the arrow flew right into the forest, hitting nothing. "Nightshade!" I screamed as I pulled on the saddle. She was barely able to correct herself in the air before we tumbled into the trees. "Nice save." I said as she looked up, seeing the source of the fire that hit us.
A second Singetail, this one a pale yellow.
The two Singetails fled as we all landed in front of the storehouse.
"Alright, that's it, we're leaving." Stoick said decisively.
"What are you going on about?" Spitelout shot back as we all dismounted.
"We tried lightning, we tried the direct approach, and we tried dragon root, and failed on all the accounts." Stoick held up three fingers. "Now there's another one flying about. We. Are. Leaving." He growled.
"Is that so?" Spitelout asked with a sneer, crossing his arms.
"It is so." Stoick sneered back, marching over to Skullcrusher. "Contrary to other thinking, our lives are not worth an empty building."
"Go then! I'm staying." Spitelout huffed.
"Me too." SNotlout agreed, though his hesitation was not well hidden.
"Jorgensons don't go where we're not trusted or wanted." Spitelout stuck his nose in the air. "We're staying, protecting what's ours." He clenched his fist.
"If that's how you want it, fine." Stoick rolled his eyes, climbing onto Skullcrusher.
"It's how it must be." Spitelout returned, his voice a touch morose. "And what about you, boyo?" He asked me.
Hiccup and I shared a look as he approached Toothless. He looked up at his father thoughtfully for a moment before turning back to his cousin and uncle.
"Snotlout, Spitelout, doesn't this seem to be getting a little bit ridiculous?" He asked, practically pleading. They didn't respond. "Right." he gave a sigh, mounting Toothless.
"I'll stay and make sure they don't get killed." I told him as he got ready to take off. He gave a grateful nod before following after his father, who'd left.
"So, the Saxon has some backbone in him after all." Spitelout grinned as I approached him. "Glad to have you on board, son." He mounted his dragon. "When we drive those beasts off, there might be a place in the Jorgenson Clan for you." He added. "We appreciate loyalty."
"Thank you for the offer, Spitelout, but no thanks. Been there, done that." I shuddered slightly. Seth Jorgenson. That sounds awful, and Snotlout agreed, if that sour face of his was anything to go by. Or maybe that was just his usual face. "My help is not unconditional, though." I said as I mounted Nightshade. "Nights and I can neutralise the Singetail's fire with lightning, but we can't protect you two from it if it's coming from all directions."
"Then what use is she?" Snotlout asked snidely. I ignored him.
"I'll help you fight off those two, but once the rest of the pack arrives, that's it, we're done. We leave and find a new place for the storehouse, deal?" I asked.
"Deal." Spitelout nodded in agreement.
With that, the three of us took off and perched our dragons on top of the storehouse, facing three different directions in order to see the Singetails coming.
It took a few tense, slightly awkward, silent moments before we heard the beasts call once again. Turning, we saw the two Singetails soaring right towards the Storehouse. Right as they flung their fireballs at us, Nightshade unleashed a bolt of lightning that neutralised their fire, forcing them both to dodge the attack, and split off in two directions. Snotlout immediately pushed off, steering Hookfang towards where the yak from before was grazing, completely unaware of the Singetail headed right for it. Right before the beast could grab the yak, Hookfang swooped by, grabbing the yak and moving it to safety.
"Where did you go?" Spitelout asked as Snotlout rejoined us.
"They're coming back." I said as the two Stoker Class dragons started flying right at us again.
"Wait for it." Spitelout said as they got closer. "Wait for it… Now!" He yelled, our three dragons unleashing their respective bursts of fire at the two dragons. The collision of our fire on their heads pushed them back, and they hastily retreated.
"Yeah! We've got them on the run!" Snotlout cheered. Suddenly, a fireball collided with the storehouse roof, just behind us. "And now there's three of them!" Snotlout yelped as a green Singetail joined the fray.
"Fantastic." I sigh as Night gets ready to fire again.
"Keep firing!" Spitelout yelled as the three Singetails circled around us, our dragons firing as best they could.
"We're losing ground!"Snotlout yelped as more of the storehouse was set on fire.
"Spitelout!" I yelled at the burly man.
"Not yet!" he yelled back as we lifted off.
Suddenly, a familiar roar could be heard in the distance, getting louder as it got closer, and a purple plasma blast hit one of the Singetails. Following the direction from which the blast came, we saw Hiccup and Stoick flying right back at towards us. Stoick rammed Skullcrusher into of the Singetails, and Toothless blasted another one.
"Well?" Stoick asked as Skullcrusher hovered above us. "Are you protecting what's yours or not?" He asked, building altitude, Hiccup and the three of us following suit.
"It's starting to get a little crowded up here!" Hiccup remarked as he directed Toothless to fire again.
"The five of us can handle three Singetails." Stoick said confidently as Skullcrusher blasted another one.
"What about four?" Snotlout asked, pointing in the distance, where another orange Singetail was approaching.
"Or five?" Hiccup saw a pale pink one approaching from another direction.
"Make it six." I pointed at the bright red one soaring towards us. "Spitelout!" I yelled at the man again.
"Aye." He nodded, his displeasure evident, but so was his resignation.
"No! We stay! We hold! We fight!" Stoick snarled as another Singetail joined the fray.
"It's too late, Stoick!" Spitelout yelled at his brother-in-law. "There's too many of them!"
"We can do this!" Stoick yelled back.
"But we shouldn't!" I interjected.
"Silence boy!" Stoick snapped.
"Stoick, it's fine." Spitelout promised. "It's not worth it. We'll find another island."
"And we'll do it together." Stoick finally agreed. "Skullcrusher!" He nudged the dragon, who growled in acknowledgement as he turned to retreat, Spitelout and Kingstail right on their tail.
"Thank Thor!" Snotlout sighed, following.
"Right behind you!" Hiccup agreed, directing Toothless to join.
"Finally!" I rolled my eyes as I geared Nightshade to follow. She hissed in protest, her tusks out as she stared at the Singetails. "Nightshade, no." I told her, getting another protesting hiss. "You can hunt a Singetail another time. We'll get a screaming eel back at the Edge." I pulled harder. She warbled her displeasure, following after the others as she pulled her tusks back in. Right as we caught up, I saw Snotlout quickly turn Hookfang around to swoop in and grab the yak that was still grazing.
"What?" he asked as we all stared at him blankly. "I couldn't leave Yakkity!"
"Yakkity? Seriously?" I shook my head.
"Wait!" Stoick ordered, making us all stop as he turned and flew right back to the island. He and Skullcrusher disappeared in the smoke for a moment before re-emerging with the red S rune from the entrance carried in Skullcrusher's claws. "We can't have a storehouse with the S, can we?" He asked with a grin.
"Even though it stands for Spitelout." Spitelout whispered, though it was loud enough for all of us to hear. We all shared a laugh as we continued on our way.
I gave serious consideration to skipping this episode, but I chose not to because it introduces the Singetails. By the time I considered abandoning it, I figured I was close enough to finishing it, I may as well push through. Probably why this chapter is subpar at best.
Also, I used AI to create a character image for this story. It's not EXACTLY what I imagined Seth looking like, but it's close. I might try again later down the line. I've updated the cover image with it. What do you think? It kinda looks like the lovechild of Starkiller and Oliver Queen to me, but it's not too bad.
Also, is anyone else being plagued with scam PMs saying "I'm an artist and I've been so inspired by your stories, I want you to pay me to draw for you!" and other such things? They're starting to get annoying.