Following his father's death Hiccup is determined to do Stoick proud and fill his shoes in Berk. And he does... by slowly chipping away at himself. Sensitive Toothless knows his boy is getting lost but that's not the only troubling thing happening...
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The next morning was depressingly cold and dreary. Rain water dripped from the saturated yak hides above us. Breathing out, I watched the steam from my mouth billow up just the same way smoke would from Stormfly.
She yawned and stood, shaking the water off her scales.
I rose and stretched my chilled body. It wasn't pitch black anymore, but it was still pretty dark. About twenty minutes to sunrise.
"Morning," Heather whispered, prodding Ebony with a stick.
I greeted the only other early bird in the gang. "Morning. What are you doing?"
"Trying to get her off the firepit so we can start a fire. But she just keeps sleeping,"
Ebony snored, happy as a clam.
"Windshear, do you mind?"
The Razorwhip snaked her head under the canopy, wrapped her jaws very gently around Ebony and picked her up. The black dragon murffed, stretched lazily but didn't bother to open her eyes even as Windshear dragged her across the tent and out into the elements.
Meatlug and Shattermaster were soon by our sides. They loved to play together. I looked at our supplies of fish.
"Low," I muttered, "Alright you two, before the fun and games begin we gotta have some breakfast. Be good little Gronckles and get us some fish?" I said sweetly.
Stormfly mimicked me, rawking a few condescending notes of her own. The gronckles glared and turned away, tails up. She bristled.
I couldn't help but smile. "I'll handle this Stormfly."
"Okay guys, who's a good Gronckle? Who? Who? Is it you, Meatlug? Are you such a good girl? Yes you are!"
Unable to resist the urge to please both dragons turned back to me, tails wagging.
"That's right! Shattermaster, your such a good boy! Alright, get some fish guys and you can play!"
They spun around in excited circles and took off sideways, making dizzy patterns in the sky.
Bored, the dragons milled about in search of food. Eventually each Viking came to the conclusion that their rain-wet blankets were more uncomfortable than the crisp morning air, each that is but Hiccup who kept sleeping. Being the loyal dragon that Toothless was he couldn't leave Hiccups' side yet he was anxious to see what the others were getting up to. He gently patted his boy's face, then chewed on Hiccups' hair, waging his tail in anticipation.
"Ok I'm up, I'm up..."
Hiccup groaned, hair a wreak and looking generally miserable.
"Morning, sunshine," I smiled. Toothless bounced around him joyfully.
"I thought getting some rest would help me feel better." He held his head.
"You look like you just crawled out of Nifheimoehel." Ruff blurted.
