At times, a feeling can be in the air. It is more tangible than a rock and yet has no physical form. This is just an intuitive sense of knowing something is wrong. That was how Dagur felt even though he was not entirely sure what was the matter. It had been that way for the entire day. The Dragon Riders were on edge and not just their base away from Berk. Dagur watched them closely to see if he could discover the reason for their tension. No one said much of anything, but their actions portrayed their concern. Fishlegs kept walking with shaky steps and looking over his shoulder, Astrid had a permanent look of suspicion on her face, Hiccup would not leave his hut, and the Berserker had seen Snotlout hiding behind a barrel. Even Heather seemed jumpy. Not knowing was grating on the chief's nerves and he finally went over to her by the stables. She jolted slightly until she saw it was him. Dagur crossed his arms.
"Okay, what's going on around here? Everyone looks like there's about to be a bloodbath. Is there? Hiccup said he's busy working on some new creation and the other Riders won't stay still long enough to tell me. If we're about to be under attack, I can help."
Heather shook her head. "No, it's not that. It's…"
The brunette stopped talking, going over to the entry of the stables to peek out. She thought that she had heard something.
"It's what?!" Dagur asked, frustrated.
Turning back around, Heather returned to Windshear's side. "It's going to be Loki Day tomorrow."
Dagur blinked at his sister. "Loki Day? What does that have to do with anything?"
"Astrid told me that the twins go all out for it."
"It's just some pranks, right?"
"Technically, but I heard that they pulled some pranks on the others in the middle of a mission to help a dragon. They just get out of control. They even went after each other despite them normally being a team."
Dagur was quiet for a moment, then started to laugh. "So, everyone's freaking out because they don't know what Boynut and Girlnut are going to do? Our friends are definitely interesting, Sis."
The chief started walking towards the exit when Heather caught his arm.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Going back out there. I'm not going to work myself up over some tricks."
"They were really excited to finally get Astrid last time. I planned on returning to Berserker Island tonight. You should probably do the same."
"I'm not running from the twins," Dagur said, crossing his arms.
"They're not going to stop until they prank you."
"Then, I guess I'll have to prank them back."
Heather watched in mild concern as her brother's eyes twinkled with derangement. He let out a devious chuckle and started heading out to find the two blonds. Curiously, she followed him. Dagur kept going until he saw the two Berkians setting up a trap in a tree. Ruffnut was on a branch and Tuffnut was poking the loop of a rope with a stick to move it into position.
"Snotlout's going to be so mad!" Ruffnut said, delighted by the thought.
"Especially when he realizes the rope is covered in poison oak!"
The twins stifled their laughter when they saw the other set of siblings approach. Dagur put his hands on his hips, looking at the trap, then the makers.
"Heard you two like Loki Day."
"We love it!" they said in unison.
Tuffnut had a devilish grin spread over his face. "Think you'll be here tomorrow?"
"Know I will. That's why I'm here now. Up for a challenge?"
Glancing at one another, the twins wrung their hands in anticipation.
"What were you thinking?" Tuffnut asked.
"A prank off," Dagur proposed.
The twins looked intrigued by the suggestion.
"We've never done that before. We normally just go after everyone else."
"I know. That's why I think it's time you got the full Loki Day experience."
Ruffnut climbed down and eyed the Viking suspiciously. "How do we know you'd be a good challenge? We might get our hopes up and then take you out in the first prank."
"You won't." Dagur puffed up proudly. "Back home, I used to mess with some of the stuffier Berserkers to get them to loosen up."
"How far did you go?" Tuffnut asked, crossing his arms. "Ruff and I made someone think his hut was on fire…with people inside."
The other blonde started to smile at the memory. "He ran all the way down to the docks to get buckets of water just to see everything was fine!"
Dagur scoffed. "That's tame. I got the holiday banned."
With dropped jaws, the twins huddled together.
"This could be fun," Tuffnut said. "We've always wanted to trade pranks back and forth with someone."
"Yeah, but we've seen Vikings break down and cry because of pranks," Ruffnut reminded him. "It's more fun to cause it than to go through it."
Tuffnut frowned in thought and they kept discussing this. Heather watched, then turned to the chief.
"You really got it banned?"
"Yeah, I guess it went too far, but I still don't know which part was," he said, tapping his chin.
Suddenly, the twins faced the Berserkers again.
"Is Heather helping?" Ruffnut asked.
The brunette shook her head. "No, this is all you guys. I'm not going to be here."
Dagur grinned at them and they wondered if he had looked less intimidating when he was their enemy.
"Just me. Heather would go easy on you."
Quickly, the twins spun around again and mumbled to each other. Then, they turned back.
"Okay, we'll do it," Tuffnut said.
"May the best prankers win!" Ruffnut added.
Tuffnut extended his hand, but Dagur squinted at him.
"Is that a fake arm?"
The blond's smile faded. "Maybe," he said slowly.
Dagur claimed the pretend arm proudly. "Hmm, sturdy material," he said inspecting it. "I'm keeping this."
The twins reluctantly caved and spat in their real hands before holding them out. Dagur made a face.
"A verbal agreement works. See you tomorrow. Of course," he added, chuckling darkly, "tomorrow doesn't really start at sunrise."
Dagur's laugh grew as he left the younger siblings to worry about what he meant. That night, the twins struggled to stay awake. Ruffnut punched Tuffnut to keep him from falling asleep, but they still passed out. After some hours passed, Tuffnut wiggled his nose. Something was tickling him and he began to chuckle. The Berkian sleepily opened his eyes and they widened as he saw a Terrible Terror staring back at him. Its wings were wrapped around his face. Tuffnut yelped and as he started to sit upright, he realized he was stuck to the bed. Looking over to the other side of the room, Tuffnut saw Ruffnut was experiencing the same thing. There was a flock of the dragons covering the entire hut. The blonde licked her cheek and gasped.
"We're trapped in honey!"
Another Terrible Terror happily licked her forehead. Tuffnut's mouth curved downwards as a different Terror landed on his knee.
"Well, Ruff," he said, sniffing, "if we're going to get eaten by the second smallest dragon, at least we're going out together."
Ruffnut blew at the Terrible Terror that flew over to her and frowned at her brother.
"Barf! Belch! Get your butts in here!"
The dragons burst through their riders' door and scared off the flock. Excitedly, the dragons licked the twins free. When they were slippery enough to move, Ruff and Tuff got up and left the hut. They heard some laughing and frowned in the direction of the grinning Berserker.
"How'd you get in without us noticing?" Tuffnut asked.
"I'm stealthy and you're apparently really heavy sleepers."
Ruffnut pointed at the Zippleback. "How'd you get past Barf and Belch?"
Dagur grinned and lifted a large fish, tossing it over to the creature so that it could amuse itself by fighting over which head got to eat the seafood.
"Well played," Tuffnut said.
"It's not over yet!" Ruffnut assured the redhead. "We got some stuff ready for you too. Just wait and see!"
The Berkians ran off and Dagur felt excitement building in himself. Out of morbid curiosity, he began going around the island to see where traps had been laid. He sucked his teeth when he saw a tripwire hidden under a bush.
"Too obvious," he thought. "They're probably expecting me to go the other way to avoid this, so I should go around it."
Dagur went by the plant, grinning. "Gonna have to try harder than–"
He stopped talking as he felt his boot go deeper into the dirt than expected. With widening eyes, Dagur realized that there was another wire that had been hidden better within the newly made burrow. As soon as he stepped, it triggered a catapult. Sacs launched at the Berserker, forcing him to duck and maneuver out of the way. So many bags were catapulted that there was soon nowhere to go. One of them whacked Dagur on the back of his head and burst as a grayish liquid oozed down his back. The Berserker shuddered and ducked low enough to avoid the rest of the sacs. Frowning, Dagur saw the shadow of a Hideous Zippleback flying above him. The twins were laughing in triumph. Wiping his head with his hand, Dagur regarded the substance in confusion.
"What is this stuff?"
"Our homemade recipe for sludge," Tuffnut stated happily.
"Should I even ask what's in it?"
"Depends on how horrified you want to be," Ruffnut said. "Of course, you could give up now and we'll tell you how to get the smell out."
Dagur gave the pair a determined look. "Berserkers don't quit. Besides," he added, smirking, "seems like you didn't notice what was taking a ride with you."
The twins tensed up and hesitantly looked down. They did not see anything at first, then they noticed small satchels connected to the sides of the saddles. Looking at Tuffnut first, Ruffnut shakily brought down a hand to grab the bag. She tried to grip the opening to keep it closed, but as soon as she made the attempt, an eel burst out. It got onto the Rider's shoulder, shocking her. Shrieking, the Berkian jumped and fell off the saddle. Dagur caught her and she pushed him after returning to her feet.
"Oh, it's on now!" she exclaimed, as upset as she was intrigued by this game.
Tuffnut cut the knot that kept the satchel on his saddle. The eel fell out, but Barf and Belch noticed and panicked, flying up faster as the Berkian yelped. When the dragon finally calmed down, Tuffnut got off the saddle and pointed two fingers at his own eyes before pointing them at Dagur.
"Loki Day just started," Tuffnut said. "We'll see who gets the last laugh."
"Already know that answer," Dagur stated, smirking.
Instinctively, he started to chuckle. The twins made faces at him and began laughing in a dramatically maniacal way. Hearing the trio, Astrid peeked out of Hiccup's hut to see them running off in opposite directions. She closed the door again to look behind her at Hiccup. He was using a low flame from Toothless to help him melt down materials.
"Should we be worried?"
Hiccup hammered down on the metal. "Probably. If it gets too bad, we'll stop them."
Astrid leaned against the wall of the hut. "Assuming there's enough time to."
Outside the hut, the twins had finally stopped working. They made breakfast and went to a table outside, setting down their plates. The siblings spotted Dagur approaching and grinned as they gestured to the food.
"Hope you don't mind us just making ourselves lunch today," Tuffnut said, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"I don't mind one bit. I've heard horror stories about your salt-crusted meals."
Cautiously, Dagur collected one of the large cooking pots. He looked around the edges to see if there was anything stuck in them which might attack or stick to him. Hearing a snicker, he glanced up to see the twins happily watching.
"What?" Ruffnut asked, feigning innocence.
"You're so paranoid," Tuffnut said. "You already made us miss breakfast. Do you really think we'd ruin lunch?"
"Yes," Dagur stated, peering inside of the pot. "Just need to figure out how."
The twins shrugged and began to eat.
"Well, you enjoy that while we enjoy our food," Tuffnut told him.
A slight smirk crossed Dagur's face as he saw them from his peripheral vision, but he said nothing. Deciding the pot was safe, he filled it with some water and placed it over the rocks they used as a fire pit. Just as the Berserker lit a flame, he saw a cylindrical object with a trail of green behind it being tossed towards him. A few moments later, Dagur heard a bang and landed by the twins in a daze.
"Loki'd!" they cried in unison.
"Knew Hiccup's new Zippleback gas toy would come in handy!" Tuffnut exclaimed happily. "You should see your face!"
Ruffnut nodded. "Yeah! It's like your eyes don't know they normally move in the same dire…ction…"
The Berkian paused, frowning. Tuffnut glanced at her.
"What's wrong with…you?"
Tuffnut stopped talking too as he and Ruffnut looked at one another. Dagur rubbed his head and started laughing at them.
"And there's also nothing like a few dozen cloves ground up in your food. Knew you'd go for the stuff Hiccup told you not to get into. Enjoy numbness."
Dagur's laughter was interrupted by the sound of wheezing. He stared at the twins in surprise. They were holding their throats and sucking in breaths. Dagur began frowning and took a step towards them, then stopped.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"W-we're allergic," Tuffnut said, struggling to get the words out.
The Berserker's frown deepened and he shook his head. "You're joking. This is a Loki Day trick."
His certainty faded as the blonds stumbled to their knees. The redhead's stomach turned to knots, but he still tried to remain calm.
"You two are really playing it up. Okay, you almost got me. You can stop now."
Neither twin got up from the ground. Instead, they seemed to be lying completely still. Horrified, Dagur rushed over to them, putting a hand in his hair.
"I'm killing them!" He let out a nervous laugh. "I'm finally not trying to and it's when it happens."
Drawing out a blade, Dagur crouched down to where Tuffnut was. When it got close to the Berkian's throat, Tuffnut scrambled away.
"You're gonna slit my throat?!" the blond asked in horror.
Dagur frowned at him, then put up the blade. "I've seen someone have an allergic reaction and have some of their throat cut. It helped."
Tuffnut sucked in a big breath. "Oh look. I'm cured! I don't need that anymore."
"It's a miracle!" Ruffnut added, getting up as well to avoid being stabbed.
Dagur's frown faded as he chuckled. Their speech was still slurred from the numbness.
"I wasn't actually going to stab you. You forgot to stop breathing, so I saw your stomach rising and falling."
The twins looked disappointed in themselves. They tried to open their mouths, then frowned again at the feeling.
"How do you undo this?" Ruffnut asked.
"Well," Dagur said, eyes twinkling mischievously, "I heard that putting Fireworms in your mouth helps kick start the feeling process."
Tuffnut nodded and eagerly ran off to see if he could find any on the island. Ruffnut watched in amusement.
"You're not going to tell him to stop, are you?" Dagur asked her.
The blonde shook her head, chuckling at Tuffnut's happy face when he found one hidden by a rock. Her grin spread as a scream filled the air shortly after this. Tuffnut stumbled towards them, hands behind his back.
"Well, it worked, so I'll have to remember that for next time." Tuffnut's eyes moved to his sister. "Sharing is caring, Ruff."
Before the other Berkian could move, Tuffnut tackled her and put two Fireworms between her jaws. He covered her mouth and she had a muffled yell. With a punch, Ruffnut knocked him off and spat out the burning reptiles. Dagur just laughed as he watched them, but he noticed their attention turning to him.
"Can't leave you out of this," Tuffnut told him, picking up another Fireworm with his helmet.
Dagur's smile fell and he took off with the twins both chasing him with the little dragons. The Berkians had more endurance than he expected, but they did finally tire out. Cautiously, Dagur peeked out from behind a tree to see them sprawled out on the grass. The blonds were exhausted even though they tried to get up again when they saw him. Their attempts were in vain and the pair promptly fell back to the ground. They sat up and leaned their backs against each other.
"Ten minute break," Tuffnut requested.
"Yeah, we're not as young as we used to be," Ruffnut stated, heaving.
"I'm older than you are."
"Yeah, well, you're abnormally energetic," Tuff said, panting.
Dagur grinned proudly. "Fair point."
The redhead went over to them, staying just far enough away in case they tried to throw something at him. As the siblings caught their breath, they began looking sad. Long shadows were made in the forest.
"Aw, the day's going by so quickly. It's already evening," Tuffnut realized.
"It'll be over soon," Ruffnut said, downcast.
Dagur had not considered that and noticed the sun setting as well. The day had been more fun than he anticipated.
"What if we don't go after each other next time?" he offered.
The twins looked at him suspiciously.
"You don't want to do any more pranks?" Ruffnut asked.
A deranged glimmer shone in the Berserker's eyes. "Now, I didn't say that."
Glancing at one another, the twins started to grin. The next few hours passed silently–so silently that the other Berkians worried what had happened. Fishlegs cautiously poked his head out of his hut.
"Uh, Ruff? Tuff? Dagur?" He moved back inside in case one of them took this as a calling to target him. "Y-you didn't kill each other, right?"
The Rider got no response and opened the door further. He was not the only one with this idea. Snotlout had finally stopped hiding and looked around as well.
"I don't hear or see them anywhere," he commented. "I thought this would be the loudest Loki Day ev–"
His words were interrupted by the sound of an explosion. This got Hiccup and Astrid to go outside.
"What are those muttonheads doing now?" Astrid asked, arms crossed.
A larger explosion shook the island. The warrior's frown faded as a look of concern crossed her face. Hiccup also tensed and began going after the sound, being followed by Toothless. The others went with him and gasped when they saw Ruffnut on her side, back and core covered in red. Fishlegs almost fainted and the others called her name, but she did not respond.
"Wh-what's happening?" Snotlout asked, feeling ill. "I don't see anyone. Who's attacking us?!"
Astrid drew her ax. "I'm not sure, but we'll avenge Ruff."
Another explosion came on the opposite side of the island. This time, it led to a fog that began covering the ground and rising into the air. The Riders could not see anything or even each other. Fishlegs fearfully tried to walk towards where his remaining friends had been. He stopped in time when he almost stepped on a body. Tuffnut was on the ground, legs horribly mangled. This time, Fishlegs shrieked and tried to pick up his fallen friend, but another explosion made him fall down. By the time he got up, he could not see where the body was located. Hiccup stayed close to Toothless, using the Night Fury's low flame to help him see. No matter how much Toothless swatted at the fog with his tail, it would not lessen in thickness. The Berkian gasped when he saw Dagur with red around his throat. He was struggling to stand and was choking. Hiccup rushed over, putting one of his arms over his friend's shoulder to help keep him upright. Dagur tried to say something, but Hiccup could not make out the words.
"I can't tell what you're saying," the Berkian said, pit growing in his stomach.
Dagur's knees buckled, but he managed to continue standing. "I-I said…"
"Loki'd!"
Dagur, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut cried the cheer in unison. Barf and Belch stopped making explosions and flew out to do a spin to remove the fog. As they did, Sleuther left his position of igniting smoke bombs. The dragons looked pleased with themselves, but their pride could never hope to compare with that of the Vikings. The trio was laughing so much that they were in tears. The other Riders just stared at them, appalled.
"What…how…what?" Hiccup asked.
Tuffnut used his arms to move himself away from the fake pair of legs they had made. In the fog, they had looked more real, but there was enough room for him to curl up and make it seem like they had been his actual ones. Ruffnut tapped her jacket, swiping off some of the red.
"Berry jam. Dagur's got a great recipe."
Dagur nodded excitedly and pointed at his neck. "You can even use it to make it look like there are really bad cuts. See?"
Noticing the shock on their friends' faces, the three started laughing again. Finally, Astrid found her voice.
"New rule," she told them, frowning. "Next Loki Day, all three of you are banned from the Edge."
The Vikings' jaws dropped.
"You're banishing us?!" they asked.
"From sunrise to sunset."
They were quiet, then Dagur grinned again.
"This is a new one. I've never gotten banished on Loki Day. I'll consider this a job well done." He turned to the twins. "Hope you're ready for next year because you'll have my undivided attention."
"We hope you're ready," Tuffnut said, grinning.
"Yeah! This'll give us a whole year to plan with some very Dagur-specific pranks," Ruffnut warned him.
"You're gonna need it if what I saw today's the best you got," the Berserker taunted.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
The friends went off, comparing their imitations of the others' horrified faces and reactions throughout the day. As they did, the other Riders found that they were just glad to not have to endure this another time. Loki Day was best left to the professionals.