Chapter 7: Letters

The tepid water sloshed over Sigyn's wrinkled fingers and out over the edge of the bucket as she pushed the tunic under the surface once again. She scrubbed vigorously at the soot stain watching as the thin bubbles on the surface of the water popped and dissipated. In the distance, she could hear the thwack of a stone as her father defended the newly sprouted vegetables. The little pool some distance downstream from the house was the perfect place to do the wash. There was a stone that was just the right height and size to sit on and still be able to reach the stream.

Dratted laundry had really gotten away from her again. It always did, getting put off until there were no clean clothes left in the house. Today had been just such a day and she dreaded the basket of dirty clothes beside her. It would probably take the rest of the afternoon. She wasn't sure which she preferred, the laundry or the list or tailoring orders that had backed up. There was the new tunic and trousers for that Bernstalk boy, the new bed clothes and quilt for the couple who would be married in a few weeks. What were their names again? And on top of the myriad of odds and ends Mrs. Ingerman had stopped by earlier this morning with a request of her own for several new baby clothes and nappies. The already plump woman was well into her seventh month of pregnancy and was beginning to have difficulty walking distances. Her pregnancies tended to be difficult near the end and Gothi had instructed Mrs. Ingerman to not over-exert herself.

Sigyn pulled the tunic from the water and sniffed tentatively. Satisfied that the garment was clean she rinsed it in the cold stream before ringing it out and setting it in an empty basket to hang up later. Fishing a dirty pair of her father's breeches from the basket she began the process over again as her thoughts wandered back to the conversation with Mrs. Ingerman this morning.

The woman had come to tell Sigyn that her visits were likely to grow sporadic at best as she got closer to summer and the end of her pregnancy. Sigyn listened idly to the woman's gossip of the village as they picked the cloth to make the new baby items. She didn't care too much about the gossip but nodded and tried to respond politely as she held measurements and figures in her head. Mrs. Ingerman told a story about Fishlegs but Sigyn had only been half paying attention, that is until she heard a familiar name. Sigyn perked up listening more intently.

She had heard nothing about Snotlout or the other dragon riders for over three weeks, yet her heart thrilled as the story continued. Mrs. Ingerman described events that centered around Fishlegs and to a much lesser extent "that Jorgensen boy". When Sigyn interrupted to ask when this had happened she was excited to learn that it had happened the day before. The dragon riders were back on Berk! Snotlout was back! It didn't take much coaxing to draw the rest of the information out of the woman. The dragon riders had returned yesterday afternoon. All of them including Snotlout. Warming to Sigyn's increased attention, Mrs. Ingerman gushed out a story that was both intriguing and worrying. Much to Sigyn's frustration, the woman was sparse on detail, particularly when it came to Snotlout's involvement. When Mrs. Ingerman finally bade her goodbye, it left Sigyn in an agitated state.

There were so many questions she wanted proper answers for. Where was Snotlout? Had anyone been injured during yesterday's incidents? Mrs. Ingerman had mentioned a fire and a crazy hunt for a large wild dragon during a thunderstorm. Why hadn't Snotlout been to see her yet? Was he okay? This frenzy of nervous energy and unease had ultimately driven Sigyn to do the laundry despite her loathing of the menial task. She needed to keep her mind occupied. Yet here she was, up to her elbows in wash water but her thoughts and worries were inexorably drawn back to the dark-haired boy and his dragon.

She was about halfway through the basket of dirty clothes when there was the dull thunder of large wings beating in the distance. Her heart skipping a beat, Sigyn glanced skyward and saw the familiar silhouette of a large monstrous nightmare headed towards the house. Eagerly abandoning the laundry bucket Sigyn dashed up the trail toward the front yard. She arrived moments before the large orange and red dragon. By the barn the yaks didn't bother to look up as Hookfang set down, the dust swirling around in little eddies. The chickens however scurried for cover behind the chicken coup, clucking indignantly as their feathers were ruffled. Sigyn ran a hasty hand over her head trying to smooth any stray hairs back down into her loose braid.

"Is that Snotlout back?" called her father from his chair in the garden. Sigyn's eyes roved over the dragon but she frowned. The saddle on Hookfang's back was empty. There was no horned helmet to be seen anywhere.

"Sort of," she called, not sure how to answer. Hookfang had never shown up without Snotlout before. As far as she knew they were almost always together. A jolt of worry charged through her. Had something happened to Snotlout after all? Had he been hurt during the whole fiasco with Fishlegs?

"What do you mean, sort of?"

Hookfang moved closer, thrumming as he pushed his head forward eager to be rubbed. Almost without hesitation, she obliged the dragon, her blunt fingernails scratching over his scales.

"Where is Snotlout?" she asked the dragon, reaching for the underside of Hookfangs chin. The dragon chuffed in what sounded like irritation but leaned further into her touch. "Is he okay? Is he hurt?" she insisted, lifting his chin so she could look into one of his big orange eyes. Hookfang gave another irritated snort but then began to thrum reassuringly. So he must be all right, or at least not sick or hurt given Hookfangs attitude.

"I take it Snotlout is missing," said her father.

"I don't know where he could be," she sighed. "But Hookfang doesn't seem concerned about it. Mrs. Ingerman said that he and the other dragon riders got into a bit of trouble yesterday afternoon."

"So I overheard. It's had you worked up all morning."

"I am not worked up," she huffed. Her father's grin was all he needed to irk Sigyn further. "I'm not!" she insisted. Despite her assertion, she could not help but feel jittery and uneasy. Hookfang had never turned up without Snotlout; sometimes Snotlout without Hooking but not the other way around. Typically one was not far from the other. Hookfangs tail snaked gently but firmly around her middle, dragging her down to sit at his side.

"Hey!... Hey," she said, trying to pull free from him. Hookfang was insistent, the weight of his tail pinning her down. Reluctantly she gave in. As soon as he felt the fight leave her the tail disappeared to be replaced by his large head. His long twisted horns brushed her shoulders as he contently settled his head in her lap and his large yellow-orange eyes blinked at her expectantly. Rolling her eyes she began to rub his head. Her rib cage vibrated gently as Hookfang began his odd purr-growl and gradually she slouched into his heat.

"You know, I'm supposed to be doing the laundry," she said pointedly, though half-heartedly. Hookfang puffed a hot breath in her face and nuzzled closer. She shook her head as she relaxed further into him. Silly dragon. They were silent for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. Who needs clean laundry?"

They sat there many long minutes and Sigyn soon found her eyes drifting closed as her body grew still. Despite the quiet, thoughts and worries for Snotlout kept flitting through her head. She was not sure how long they lay there in the heat of the sun when the sound of footsteps on the path to the meadow rose over the Hookfang's purr. Thump, squish… Thump, squish… Thump, squish… Thump, squish. Added to the rhythm plod was the low grumble of a discontented but familiar voice. Sigyn turned to look but from her position pinned to Hookfang, she couldn't see the path.

"Snotlout?" she called, giving an impatient wriggle, pushing at Hookfangs snout. The dragon gave a small growl of irritation but did not let her up.

"Sigyn?" came the reply, an excited note piercing the frustration that was all too evident. "Where are you?" She wriggled again but to no avail.

"Over here. Hookfang has me pinned under his head again. Can you get him to move?"

"The big lummox is more likely to listen to you today than me," called Snotlout in a half mutter. "Sensitive dragon." Hookfang raised his wing obscuring Sigyn's view of Snotlout as he ambled into view. Sigyn puffed out an exasperated breath.

"Hey, Mr. Helvig," called Snotlout. "Get any birds today?"

"A few," chuckled her father. "Back for a while?"

"No, we leave again tomorrow. We just had to come back for some supplies. Now that we found a place to set up Dragon's Edge we need some tools to build it."

"That's a shame. Still, Sigyn will be glad to see you."

"That is if my giant lizard ever lets her up," muttered Snotlout.

"Is Hookfang mad at you for a particular reason today?" called Sigyn from behind the dragon's wing, shoving again at Hookfang who remained unmovable.

"He's just being a sensitive baby," huffed Snotlout, coming to stand on the other side of Hoofang's wing so his silhouette was visible through the red membrane. In one motion Hookfang lifted his wing and caught Snotlout in the back of the knees with his tail, sending the boy sprawling into the dirt at her feet with a squeal. His helmet bounced to the ground and rolled to rest near Sigyn's hip. All at once Hookfang was on his feet and headed for the shade beside the barn leaving the two of them in the dirt.

"I don't know," she said, righting herself as Snotlout spat dirt from his mouth. "Seems like he's carrying a particular grudge for some reason."

"I've already told you, I didn't do anything," said Snotlout, groaning as he got to his hands and knees.

"If you say so." She scooped his helmet off the ground and held it out to him. He brushed the dust from his arms and face before taking it from her. His hair and clothes were caked in a muddy layer of dust and there was pondweed sticking out of his boots.

"Why are you all damp? What happened between you two?"

"He dropped me in the pond again," groused Snotlout, getting to his feet and holding out a hand to help her up.

"But why?" she asked, taking his hand.

"It doesn't matter," he said, folding his arms and looking away.

"Best sort it out sooner rather than later," called her father, hurling a stone at an approaching squirrel. "Then again if you can't ride together tomorrow I suppose you'll just have to stay here. I know Sigyn wouldn't mind." Snotlout glanced at her as if asking if this were true. She shrugged.

"We have missed you around here," she admitted. "Does your trouble with Hookfang have something to do with Thor Bonecrusher?"

"Who told you about that?" he asked, turning to her in surprise. Her father laughed.

"You forget that the venerable Mrs. Ingerman loves a good story," said her father. "Particularly when her son is involved."

"Figures. How much did she tell you?" asked Snotlout, picking mud from under his fingernails.

"Some," said Sigyn. "But she was kind of sparse on some of the details, especially ones involving you. Are you going to tell me the whole story?"

"Seems you know enough," he said.

"Well, you could explain why you were out in a thunderstorm chasing a wild dragon." She folded her arms over her chest expectantly.

"That was not my idea," he said defensively.

"Still, you could tell me the story while I finish the laundry."

He wrinkled his nose. "You're doing laundry today?"

"I was," she sighed, letting her arms drop. "That is until Hookfang showed up."

"And you came up to the house expecting to find me," he finished. She shrugged.

"Basically. Anyway if I don't get the wash done I won't have any clothes for tomorrow. You can entertain me so I don't remember how much I hate the laundry." He watched her for a moment before sighing.

"Alright, but it's a stupid story," he said moodily.

"Good," she said, grinning. "Do you need anything before I head back?" she called to her father. He waved dismissively at her.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Besides, I know when I'm not needed. Just be sure to bring me back a clean tunic."

"Alright, alright," she laughed, avoiding looking at Snotlout.

In a few minutes, they had followed the stream back to the small pool where the wash bucket awaited her. With a sigh, she settled back into the chore. Snotlout sat cross-legged on a wide flat rock across the stream and was watching her idly, his chin in his palm.

"So are you going to distract me," she asked, chucking a dirty sock at him. He caught it and wrinkled his nose. She kinda liked that expression, it was cute, his face all scrunched up.

"It seems like there is not much to tell," he said, letting the sock drop onto the stone beside him. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about chasing the dragon in a storm. If it wasn't your idea who was it? Hiccup?"

"Not by a long shot. Hiccup didn't even know me and Thor had gone until after the storm broke. I kept trying to tell Thor it was a bad idea, but he was all-fire determined to get the Scauldron."

"What's a Scaldron?" she asked, rubbing the sock's match in the cold soapy water.

"A huge dragon that lives in the ocean. Instead of breathing fire, it spews boiling water at its prey. Supposedly it can strip the flesh off of bones."

"And Fishlegs wanted to catch a dragon like that?"

Snotlout snorted. "Are you kidding? Fishlegs didn't want to go near the thing until after Gothi hypnotized him. No, that was most definitely Thor Bonecrusher. The scary thing is that he might have actually pulled it off."

"I suppose that makes more sense. Still, why was Fishlegs hypnotized in the first place, and how does that work into the whole him becoming Thor Bonecrusher?"

"We thought Fishlegs was allergic to Meatlug, his dragon. Gothi said we could hypnotize him so he wouldn't be anymore. But it turns out it was something else entirely."

"What was he allergic to?"

Snotlout shuddered. "Trust me, you don't want to know. At any rate, that's the last time I let Gobbler service Hookfang's saddle. Disgusting. Besides Hookfangs monstrous nightmare gel works better anyway."

"But how did he become this Thor Bonecrusher?" she pressed, wringing out the sock. "I didn't think that Hypnotism worked like that."

"I was only making suggestions," he said defensively, looking away.

"It was you?" she asked, surprised.

"I just thought that while we were changing Fishlegs allergies we might as well change a few other things about him. But they were only suggestions. I didn't think it would actually work. I was just thinking out loud."

"What kinds of things did you suggest?"

"I just suggested we make Fishface…. Well, less Fishface."

"How exactly?"

"Well he's slow, timid, and not very manly, so I suggested things like the strength of three yaks, worshiped like a god, and a Viking who commands attention. You know things like that."

"So basically you wanted to completely rebuild him to be something he's not," said Sigyn.

"Exactly," said Snotlut, seeming relieved. "You get it right? I mean it could only be a good thing for him to be all those things."

Sigyn frowned as she dug another dirty shirt from the heaped basket.

"What?" asked Snotlout, sensing her hesitation when the silence had stretched on for several moments.

"It's just…" she said, trying to choose her words carefully. "I don't know, as little as I know him, that's not who Fishlegs really is."

"So?"

"Well… I don't know. How would you like it if it had been you they were remaking?"

"I'd give anything if it were. In fact, if Thor hadn't broken Gothi's stick I would go ask her to hypnotize me right now."

"So that's why he was stuck," said Sigyn, the disjointed pieces of the story falling into place. She sat digesting his words.

"I wish it had been me," said Snotlout with almost desperate enthusiasm.

"But why? Why would you want that?" she asked, watching his reaction. He looked at her blankly for several moments as though she had asked why his hair was dark.

"Do you even have to ask?" he scoffed. "To be stronger, faster, and more ruthless of course. I could be a Viking worthy of Thor himself."

"And you think that this Thor Bonecrusher was all that?"

"Of course he was," said Snotlout, flabbergasted. "You weren't there. You didn't see him. It was amazing. He single-handedly stopped a runaway cart, put out a fire, saved a baby, and calmed a stampeding baby yak all in less than a few minutes."

"That's not the way that Sylvia Ingerman told the story to her mother. According to Fishlegs's sister, he was the cause of most of those problems in the first place."

"I knew you wouldn't get it," said Snotlout, folding his arms over his chest and turning away from her in frustration. "I'm telling you it was amazing. Thor Bonecrusher moved like no one else I've ever seen, and that's saying something as he was still using Fishlegs's body. It was incredible."

"And you want to be just like him. Is that it?"

"I do," said Snotlout firmly. "Imagine how much easier… how much better things would be if people looked at me that way instead of grumbling every time I show up or just ignoring me. They all think I'm a nuisance. Even my…" He suddenly trailed off, but she could guess what he had meant to say.

He seemed to decide he said too much. He clamped his mouth shut and looked the other way. She watched him carefully for a minute trying to choose just the right words, but not being certain how to proceed.

"I've never thought you were a nuisance."

"Well you are about the only one," he said, still not looking at her.

"You talk about this version of Fishlegs as though there was no one greater save for Thor himself."

"He was."

"Well maybe he seemed that way to you, but I don't think I could stomach being your friend if you were like this Thor Bonecrusher."

"What?" he said, scowling at her. "You wouldn't like me if I was bigger, stronger, faster, more attractive?"

"I don't really care how big, strong, or fast you are," she said. "That's not why I like having you around. I'm sure you may become those things in time and if you do great, but that wasn't what I was talking about."

"Well what then?" he snapped. "You're not making any sense Sigyn. I just want to be the best version of myself. Is that so terrible?"

"Did you know that Fishlegs or rather Thor made two of his siblings cry when he came home yesterday afternoon?"

"What do you mean? Who told you that?" he asked, looking uncomfortable.

"Mrs. Ingerman said that when Fishlegs came home yesterday he was so… so abrasive that he caused two of his sisters to cry. Not only that he shoved his little brother around like a rag doll. His mother was appalled. It took her the better part of the afternoon to calm them all down." Snotlout was quiet for a long moment.

"I didn't know that." He still wouldn't look at her.

"She also said he was looking to pick a fight with the chief. Is that true?"

"Yeah," said Snotlout resignedly, wincing. "I don't think I have seen that expression on Uncle Stoick's face before. It was all Hiccup and Gobber could do to drag him away and explain why he could not thrash Fishlegs for taking his favorite ax."

"Why did Fishleg have the chief's ax?"

Snotlout sighed. "He wanted a weapon that was worthy of him and he didn't like any of the others that Gobber offered."

"And that's why he wanted another dragon?" she asked.

"Yeah. He didn't think Meatlug was good enough. He wanted a dragon worthy of him. That's what he said anyway."

"And that involved you how?"

"He wanted me and Hookfang to get him close to the scauldron."

"So he was using you," she said, watching him, her wash forgotten.

"No," he snapped, but after a moment… "Yes."

"And that wasn't a sign that something was off?" she asked, standing and drying her hands on her already damp shirt. He shrugged. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Hookfang come ambling into the clearing. He looked at them, puffing out a hot breath before curling up under a large pine tree.

"What has all this to do with you and Hookfang anyway? Why is he mad at you?"

"It was just something stupid okay. It doesn't really matter."

"I don't think Hookfang thinks it stupid," she said watching the dragon. Snotlout's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"It was just a joke, okay. I didn't really mean it," he admitted, his fingers ripping up the tall grass that stood near the rock.

"Mean what?" prompted Sigyn. "What Happened?" Snotlout was quiet for a long moment before he looked at her.

"It was Thor alright. He was telling this awesome story about how he almost caught a scauldron. He blamed Meatlug, saying because of her he was unable to catch it and said he needed to find a new dragon worthy of him. Kind of like how he took unkles ax."

"And?" she asked, watching him carefully to read his pained expression.

"And I may or may not have told him he could have Hookfang," admitted Snotlout, tugging at his ear.

"You what?"

"I know, I know, stupid move. But I only offered it because I know he's the best. That's why I suggested it, not that I really meant it."

"And what did Fishlegs, I mean Thor say?" she asked, hopping over the stream and making her way to his rock.

Snotlout muttered something unintelligible not looking at her.

"What?" she pressed, sitting beside him on the rock.

"He said that Hookfang sounded more like his post-mutton trip to the outhouse."

"He what!" she gasped, glancing at the. "Seriously, he said that about Hookfang?"

"Yeah," said Snotlout morosely. "And everyone laughed like it was the cleverest joke they ever heard."

"Well, no wonder Hookfang is upset. What did you say?"

Snotlout only shook his head, not looking at her.

"Surely you said something in his defense," she pressed. "You're always bragging about him every chance you get." Snotlout winced and with a sinking feeling, she could suddenly guess what he had done. "You… you didn't laugh with the rest of them didn't you?" she asked, knowing by the way that Snotlout flinched that she was right.

"I wasn't thinking. I told you Thor was really cool and we had been doing all this stuff together all day. I just… I didn't know what to say."

"And after all this, you still flew him out in a storm to catch a wild dragon?" Snotlout shrugged, picking at the lichen that grew on the rock. "I don't get it. I don't know why you would hang around somebody who kept using you and your dragon, someone who put you in harm's way and didn't care."

"It's not like I'm not used to it," said Snotlout lamely. She just stared at him, her face crinkling as a pang of pity shot through her.

"Really Snotlout, that's your reasoning?" He didn't respond and instead turned his back on her, his posture stiff. She sighed, not quite sure what to say. No wonder Hookfang was so mad at him. She would be too if it were her. Yes, Snotlout had been an idiot and he had put himself in danger, but if she were honest, she wasn't incredibly surprised. That was just part of who he was, although she hoped he had at least learned something from it. She wondered how Fishlegs felt about this alter ego. Thor Bonecrusher was certainly the polar opposite of his normal persona. If truth be told Thor would have been even crueler to Fishlegs had the two egos met face to face.

Sigyn was drawn from her thoughts by what sounded like a stifled sniff. She glanced over as Snotlout swiped at his face.

"Hey," she said, putting a gentle hand on his forearm. He flinched. "I'm sorry if that sounded too harsh…. It's just… I worry about you."

He swiped a hand over his face, sniffling. She tugged gently at his arm and he stiffened, turning further away to hide his face.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he mumbled defensively. "It's these stupid flowers. They're making my eyes water." She didn't have the heart to point out that they had spent countless hours in these fields of flowers and they had never bothered him before.

"They are pretty bad this time of year," she said, leaning forward to rest her chin in her hand and her elbows on her knees. "I'm just glad to see you again. I missed you." He didn't respond and she let the silence drag on for a bit before asking, "So did you guys relocate the Scauldron in the end?"

Snotlout let out a long uneven breath, tilting his face to the puffy clouds floating lazily above them. She waited.

"I fell off Hookfang just as the others showed up so I'm a bit shaky on the details, but yeah we got it moved in the end."

"And Fishlegs?"

"He's back. Apparently seeing Meatlug in danger was enough to scare Fishlegs back to the surface. He doesn't even remember anything that happened." He sighed. "What a waste."

They lapsed into silence for a long while, the myriad of insects buzzing or flitting through the thick air as the sun warmed their necks. Sigyn watched from the corner of her eye as Snotlout slipped his helmet from his head and ran his hand through his dark hair. Without thinking about it she reached to pull a bit of pond weed from his dirty tangles. Sensing her touch he turned to look at her. She held up the weed before flicking it away and reaching for another just above his ear. He didn't move as she scooted closer and began to carefully pick debris from his hair and clothes. He flinched slightly as her fingers brushed over the back of his neck to pull a long blade of grass from his collar.

"You okay?" she asked, as his neck and ears pinked.

"It tickles," he grumbled, swiping a hand over the back of his neck.

"Oh, sorry," she said, leaning away from him.

"You… you don't have to stop," he said, not looking at her, his thumb rubbing over the tip of the horn on his helmet.

"You want me to?" she asked hesitantly. He shrugged.

Positioning herself on her knees behind him on the rock she resumed her attention to him. Truth be told he was a mess, bits of weed stuck in odd places and mud caked all over him. His normally dark hair was a few shades lighter with the fine layer of dust it held. He began to relax again, his shoulders dropping as she tilted his head this way and that, picking at the mess. At last satisfied that the larger chunks had been cleared away, she tilted his head back.

"Close your eyes," she instructed. After a moment of question, his blue eyes shut. She sunk her fingers deep into his hair and agitated the strands, creating a mini shower of dust behind him. Working her fingers forward to his bangs she was startled to find him watching her, an odd expression on his face.

"What?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Nothing." He pulled out of her grip and slipped his helmet back on. "Thanks," he muttered.

"Sure," she said, moving to sit beside him again. She nudged him with an elbow. "After all, we can't have you looking shabby for your harem." He snorted.

"Right, my harem," he said gloomily.

"So… tell me about this place where you're going to set up your base camp," she said, picking lichen off the rock. "What's it like?"

"Mostly just an island, right now. We have some rough layouts for where and how we want to build but we still have a long way to go. But it's safe compared to some of the other islands we ran across."

"What made the other islands dangerous?" she asked, her interest peaked.

"How about crazy dragons that draw all other dragons in with a hypnotic song just so it can encase them in rock-hard amber and eat them later."

"There's actually a dragon that does that?" she asked. "How close did you get?"

"Try encased and it's amber and about to become its lunch close."

"How did you get away?"

"Hookfang's nightmare gel. Never leave home without it. It's flammable and melted the amber allowing us to escape. We called that dragon a Death Song. Anyway, we tried a few other Islands without success. Me and Hiccup got chased by boars, twice because Fishface forgot to cross it off the map the first time. Finally, we found Dragon's Edge."

"What is it like?"

"Well for one thing it's warmer than Berk. Oh and we ran across these crazy small dragons that fly together in coordinated groups so they look like one giant dragon. They scared the tar out of Tuffnut when he first saw them. Hiccup is hoping they will serve as an early warning system if someone tries to sneak up on our island."

"Two new dragon species and you've only been gone a few weeks."

Snotlout shrugged. "We don't usually get out that far so we were bound to find some new ones."

"How far away is it?"

"About a day and a half by dragon if you don't stop, which most dragons need to stop at least once. It would take a week by ship."

Sigyn whistled under her breath. "That's a long way." She had never left the island, let alone gone that far, but had always wondered what it would be like to visit other places. "You really are going to be gone for a long time aren't you."

"If Hiccup has anything to say about it, then yes."

"Well, I hope you come back now and then," she said, tugging at the end of her braid.

"Actually, that's one thing Uncle Stoic insisted on. Somebody has to check in every couple weeks or so. Besides, we will need to restock our food supply from time to time, so one of us will be back to Berk every once in a while."

That was good at least, but still… She chewed her lip and glanced over at Hookfang, the red-orange mound of his back swelling and shrinking with each drowsy breath.

"So are you going to make up with Hookfang," she probed, pulling up a white tufted dandelion and twirling it in her fingertips. Snotlout looked at her out of the corner of his eye and shrugged.

"What do you care? It's not like he's mad at you. Besides, like you said, if I can't ride him tomorrow I can't leave."

"True," she said, blowing the little white seeds out over the stream where they were caught by the water and carried away. "But if you don't make up with him then you can't take me flying either." A smirk crept across his face and he turned to look at her.

"Nice to know you have wholly altruistic motives." She threw the stem at him but he dodged. He grinned. "Told you you would want more. Soon enough you will be asking for a dragon of your own. Just wait."

"No," she said with finality. "Having you Hookfang around is more than enough for me."

"Well it's not like he's mad at you; he loves you. Just wake him up and go for a ride."

"I'm not exactly that comfortable on him by myself. There is a big difference between riding him with you and riding him alone. I would be sure to fall off once he started his loopy loops."

"You want to do more trick riding?" he asked, turning to face her, his eyebrows raised.

"What," she said defensively. "It was fun." He scrutinized her for a moment, his head tilting to the side.

"You know what I think," he said, sliding his arm around her waist. "I think you just want an excuse for me to wrap my arms around you." Her heart skipped a beat as he leaned toward her with a somber expression plastered over his face. "I have told you before Sigyn, you don't have to make excuses. I know how you feel about me and it's nothing to be ashamed of. You don't need my dragon to get closer to me."

"And do you know what I think," she said, leaning even closer to him and shrinking the gap between their faces even further.

"What?" he asked, his blue eyes darting down and then back up.

"I think you don't want to make up with Hookfang because it will give you an excuse to stay here with me."

He studied her for a long moment. "Maybe… but I could have other reasons."

"You could," she admitted, pulling back a bit. "But I think the biggest reason is that you are afraid."

"Of what," he asked, his voice charged with offense as he pulled away from her with a frown.

"That Hookfang won't forgive you." At this, his jaw snapped shut and he folded his arms over his chest.

"That's stupid he's my dragon."

"Tell me I'm wrong then," she said, probing after a moment of silence between them. He didn't respond, just glowered out over the stream, toward his dragon. "I'm pretty sure Hookfang knows you forward and backward by now."

"What are you getting at?" he asked, still not looking at her.

"Just that if Hookfang hasn't left you yet, what makes you think he will now? You can't tell me you haven't had your spats like this before.

He sighed. "Not this bad, at least not since the beginning."

"But he's still here," she said, pointing to where Hookfang lay snoozing or pretending to snooze at any rate. She was fairly sure she had seen the dragon peeking an orange eye at them. "Obviously he hasn't given up on you yet or he would be gone."

"But he won't listen and he's been giving me trouble all day long," groaned Snotlout. " He's so stubborn I could pull my hair out?"

"Sounds like you are perfectly matched then," she said, unable to keep from laughing. Then as an afterthought, "Have you apologized to him?"

"I said I was sorry," said Snotlout defensively.

"When?"

"After he snatched me out of the ocean yesterday."

"So in the heat of the moment, you haven't really done anything to show your sincerity."

"Why should I have to? He's a dragon."

"Because you know as well as I do that Hookfang is a lot smarter than you like to admit. He must know you didn't really mean it at the moment."

"But how do I be more sincere to a dragon," he scoffed.

"Well, how would you know that someone was genuinely sorry if they had wronged you?"

Snotlout thought for a moment. "They would say it and then never do it again."

"And if they had really wronged you?"

"A gift maybe."

"And have you done that for Hookfang?" Snotlout shrugged. "A bit of spoiling never hurts," she said after a moment. He frowned thinking.

"But how?"

"How should I know what he likes? He's your dragon."

It was silent for a long moment. Sigyn watched him pick lichen off the rock lost in his thoughts. At last, he brightened.

"Come on," he said, getting to his feet and reaching to pull her up behind him.

"Where are we going?" she asked, taking his hand.

"To the fish market. Hookfang loves fish."

"Oh no," she said, pulling away. "No way I'm going near there. It's always crawling or with dragons. Whatever hair-brained idea you have, you can go by yourself."

"Oh come on. I'm going with you, besides I thought you wanted to ride Hookfang."

"No thank you. Not if we are going there. I'd rather stay here and finish washing the laundry."

"But you hate laundry," he said with a frown.

"Precisely," she said, folding her arms and glancing at the sleeping dragon. "Besides, if you have a day and a half flight tomorrow, Hookfang is going to need his rest." Snotlout's frown deepened.

"I suppose you're right," he said, slumping slightly. His frown morphed into a sideways smirk. "Too bad, I kinda wanted to take you flying again. You're cute when you scream."

"Haha," she said soullessly, as she jumped the stream and settled herself on her rock again.

"Well I might as well stick around here then," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Don't expect me to feed you dinner," she said with a grin. If truth be told Snolout had often stayed over for meals and she didn't mind.

"Oh come on," he whined, then after a moment added, "What if I help finish the laundry?"

She grinned. "Then you just might have a bargain."

"Gotcha," said Snotlout triumphantly, seizing the blue terrible terror. The chicken-sized dragon turned its head, snapping at his fingers. He jerked back just in time to save his hand. "Come on stupid dragon. I have a job for you."

The little creature fled to its small cave on the side of the rock wall. The terrible terror rookery on Dragon's Edge was set high on the side of a cliff where the dragons liked to roost. After a few moments, the dragon reappeared, poking its head out and hissing indignantly as it spit sparks at him. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. How would Sigyn react to a dragon turning up at her house? But then again he had worked so hard on the letter.

"Come one," he said, pulling the strip of smoked fish from his pocket and holding it out to the dragon. The little creature sniffed suspiciously at the peace offering and after a few moments padded out toward him, its beady eyes watching him constantly as it approached. Never taking its eyes from him it reached out tentatively and snatched the offered treat. Chewing contentedly it settled back on its haunches. About time. Cautiously, Snotlout drew closer to the little dragon and while it was preoccupied, tied the parchment to its leg.

It had taken him four rewrites until he was satisfied with the letter. Then he'd had to sneak to the rookery without the others noticing; in particular Fishface as he was the one who trained the group of dragons. So far so good. Now so long as this pea-brained dragon could actually find the right person. But he'd been careful. Although the letter was for Sigyn he hadn't used her name or his. Not exactly foolproof, but if the letter went astray then the few would probably care enough to look into it further. Although they had used the terrible terrors to carry messages before, this refined mail system was new. It was one of Fishlegs's more recent experiments and one that was actually useful, not that he would tell Fishface that. Still, it was handy to have the ability to communicate with Burke in a more expedient manner. The three-day trip was a killer even for Hookfang but with this mail system in place, he could still talk to Sigyn and no one had to be the wiser. So long as no one caught him sending or receiving the letters.

With the mini scroll securely in place on the dragon's leg, Snotlout stepped back and waited. The dragon finished the fish and then looked up at him expectantly, its tongue flicking out to lick its eyeball. Yeah, so comforting.

"Well, get going," he said, waving his hands. The dragon just continued to stare at him, sniffing the air. Oh, of course. Snotlout dug the dirty sock from his pocket and held it toward the dragon who sniffed it for several long moments. Seemingly content the creature turned and sprang into the air flapping awkwardly as it adjusted the burden of the letter.

Well, that was done. Now he could only wait and see if it worked. Time to find Hookfang for some training. He turned around and was headed back down when he heard the tell-tale… thump… clump… of Hiccup climbing the rickety make-shift stairs. Snotlout cast his eyes about searching for an escape but the only way off the rookery other than the stairs currently occupied by Hiccup was to fly. His mind scrambled for an excuse but before it had settled on one Hiccup rounded the bend and came into view. Spotting Snotlout, Hiccup paused a moment before his brows drew together in a frown of suspicion.

"I hope you're not up here messing with the terrible terrors," said Hiccup, as he ascended the remaining stairs. "Fishlegs has put in a lot of hard work with them."

"I wasn't messing with them," snapped Snotlout, jamming his hands in his pockets. Why did everyone always assume he was up to no good? He had no reason to want the mail system to fail. Far from it.

"Then why are you up here if not to pester the dragons?"

"I wasn't pestering them okay. Nosy much?"

"When it comes to the functioning of Dragon's Edge then yes I'm nosy," said Hiccup.

"Is it a crime to send a letter now?"

Hiccup looked at him in surprise. Snap. He hadn't meant to admit that. But at least it was only Hiccup and not, Loki forbid, one of the twins. Hiccup wasn't one to gloat or tease… usually.

"You were sending a letter?"

"Well, I didn't come up here for the view."

"Who were you sending a letter to?" asked Hiccup, eyeing Snotlout curiously.

"None of your business."

"The same 'none of my business' that gave you the package the day we left Berk?"

"Drop it," growled Snotlout, his arms folding over his chest. "It doesn't matter, okay. I wasn't messing with the dragons. I had to send a letter. Just leave it at that."

"Alright alright," said Hiccup, holding his hands up in surrender. "Touchy much?"

"When you pry into my business then yes," replied Snotlout glibly.

"Fair enough."

"What are you doing up here?" snipped Snotlout.

Hiccup held up a thick roll of parchment. "The report for my dad, what else."

Hiccup pulled a strip of jerky from his pocket and approached the smallest of the dragons calling to it by name. Snotlout watched as he effortlessly attached the letter, held out a bit of cloth for the dragon to smell, and sent the messenger on its way. A spark of jealousy flashed through Snotlout. Everything dragon-related was so easy for Hiccup.

"Why did you pick the smallest one?" he questioned, unable to hold his tongue any longer. "It will take that scrawny little dragon forever to get back to Berk."

"Perhaps," said Hiccup leaning against the railing and wiping his brow. He bent to adjust the strap on his artificial leg. It always seemed to bother Hiccup more after stairs, which sucked for him because both Berk and Dragon's Edge were covered in stairs. That was at least one thing Snotlout was glad of; he had both legs and a strong able body even if he was the shortest of the group. "But," continued Hiccup, "Fishlegs said that Sven is the surest bet if you want your letter to get to the right person. Bigger isn't always better."

Snotlout glanced out after the disappearing spec that was the smaller dragon. Would his letter go astray? Would the dragon he chose even make it to Berk? The system was not without its faults. Terrible terrors had plenty of natural predators and it was a long way to Berk.

"When do we make our next trip home?" he asked, trying to keep the concern out of his voice. Hiccup straitened, thinking.

"With the mail going back and forth we don't have to make a monthly check-in with my father. I suppose we'll go back next time we need supplies. We will probably set up a rotation for everyone to take a turn on supply runs."

"Hookfang and I will go," he said suddenly before his mind could really filter what he had said.

"You want to go first?" asked Hiccup absently.

"No. Supply runs should be our job," he amended hastily. "Perminatly." Hiccup looked at him as though he had just sprouted insect antennae. Crap. What had he said?

"Are you feeling alright Snotlout? Normally you avoid jobs."

"No I don't," he snapped. At least not that often.

"Well I've never known you to volunteer," pressed Hiccup. "Why are you so willing now?"

Snotlout swallowed thickly, trying to figure out exactly why he'd been so eager. Hiccup was right, it was unlike him. Supply runs were no small task. It was Sigyn. He promised to visit when he could but if the group went on rotation getting supplies every 4 to 6 weeks, he would be lucky to see Sigyn twice a year. And who was to say she would get the letters he sent. But he'd kiss Odin's horse before he admitted that to Hiccup. But what other excuse could he give?

"It just makes sense. Why send the others when you could send us?"

"Okay, but I still don't get why you want to go."

"Well think about it," said Snotlout, his argument clunking into place as he went. "Getting supplies is a serious business. Not only that, they are heavy. Do you really think Meatlug is up to carrying the extra weight all the way from Berk?"

"I suppose not," said Hiccup.

"And we both know you can't send the twins, they would not take it seriously."

"True, but I can go."

"You could, but you shouldn't," said Snotlout. "You should not be disappearing for days on end. What if something happens here while you are gone?" Hiccup looked skeptical. "What if it's a new dragon species?"

Hiccups brows furrowed. "I suppose that leaves just you and Astrid."

"It really should be me. Stormfly may be strong enough and Astrid reliable but we both know that Hookfang can carry more and has better endurance."

"That's still a lot of weight for one dragon," said Hiccup.

"So we take it a bit slower on the way back. Hookfang may not be quite as fast as Stormfly in an out-and-out race but he can certainly go much longer with a heavier load. We are best suited for the job."

"Okay, I get that. But I still don't see why you want the job."

"Simple, I want to make sure our food gets here safely."

Hiccup laughed. "Alright, that sounds like you. Still, the others may want a chance to go home now and then. After all, Fishlegs will have a new sibling in a few weeks."

"I know," said Snotlout, beleaguering the point. "But on a regular basis, Hookfang and I make the most sense." Hiccup watched him pensively for several long moments before finally shrugging.

"Your argument is sound. We will still have to clear it with the others but I doubt anyone will complain if you want to claim the job."

The bubble that had been swelling in Snotlout's chest burst and he relaxed. He would be able to keep his promise to Sigyn. The best part was he wouldn't have to sneak away from the others to visit her.

"Well let's go down," said Hiccup, turning to go. "We still have a lot of work to do if we are going to stay here long-term. And since you and Hookfang claim you are the strongest I can think of a few jobs for you two." Snotlout groaned, making Hiccup chuckle as he hobbled down the stairs. Glancing one last time in the direction the two dragons had disappeared, Snotlout turned to follow him.

Sigyn woke to the irritating twittering of birds outside her window. Growling she rolled over and buried her head under her pillow. Was the sun even up yet? She peeked out from under the pillow to see soft light creeping in from the crack around her window. Okay so maybe the sun was up. Still, those birds were making a ridiculous racket.

She had wanted to knock the nest down earlier that spring when it was being built but by the time she had gotten around to it, there had been three eggs inside. She hadn't had the heart to knock it down then. So for the last few months, she had endured the incessant twittering right outside her window. This was only exacerbated when the chicks had hatched and she often regretted her earlier pity. But this morning was different. The tweets and chirps were hysterical and sharp.

What was going on? She reached for the latch on the window but jerked back when something large crashed into the side of the house. The thump was followed by a scratching and scrabbling sound, a hysterical squawking cut off in the middle, a bodily thump, and silence. By Odin's horse? Hesitantly, she reached once again for the window latch. Dappled sunlight warmed the top of her head as she peered out over the windowsill searching for the source of the commotion. A short chirp drew her gaze to the ground and she froze.

There was a dragon in the yard. Just below her window. What in all of Loki's trickery was a dragon doing in her yard? They hardly ever came here and especially not since Hookfang and Snotlout had started visiting. It was a small creature, dark blue and about the length of her arm. Its small beady eyes watched her as it cocked its head to the side sniffing the air. There were feathers sticking out from the corner of its mouth. Well, that solved her bird problem at least. She glanced up and sure enough, the nest and its occupants were missing.

Without warning the creature sprang into the air and before Sigyn could react landed on her windowsill. Her heart in her throat she scrambled backward until her back was pressed against the far wall. She snatched her pillow and held it like a shield in front of her, her knuckles white. The dragon watched her for a moment and then chirped softly before it crawled slowly toward her in s slithering motion.

"G… go away," she croaked, feebly flapping the pillow. "Shoo!"

Why was the dragon here? What did it want with her and why was it sniffing her feet? At least it didn't seem aggressive or agitated… all except for the feathers still protruding from the corner of its mouth. She was still having difficulty getting her heart to start back up. It was a dragon, all-be-it a small one but it still had claws and could breathe fire. She glanced at the jug of water next to her bed hoping she would not have to use it. The dragon chirped, cocked its head to the side, and then leapt onto her pillow, its nose a hair's breadth from hers. She was utterly still as it continued to sniff at her. Its beady eyes peered into hers and all at once, it licked her nose with its long rough tongue. She squealed and flinched away but the dragon just chirped again and held up its front leg.

Going almost cross-eyed, Sigyn stared at the proffered limb. Something was tied to the dragon's leg. It chirped again, still holding out his leg. Ever so slowly she leaned forward and when the dragon didn't retreat or react she reached for the twine holding what looked like a small scroll to its leg. Holding her breath while watching the dragon for the slightest movement she untied the scroll. With its burden taken the dragon sniffed its leg, gave a small wiggle, and leapt back out the window with a squeak. After a moment Sigyn went back to the window. Leaning outside she could not see the dragon anywhere. Relieved she retreated back inside her room and collapsed on her bed, her arm thrown over her face. What a wake-up call. Her heart was still pounding so loud she could not hear her father's snores downstairs. His senses were keen when he was awake but asleep we walked with the dead.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the little scroll she still held in her hand. She had never seen a dragon carrying messages before. Who was it for? The chief perhaps? Surely not her? The little dragon had been lost. She examined the outside of the parchment hoping to find a name but it was unaddressed. Should she open it, after all, it wasn't for her. On the other hand, how was she supposed to get it to the rightful owner if she didn't know who it was meant for? There was no helping it. Sitting up and settling back against her pillow she pulled the cord around the scroll loose and unrolled the parchment. Uncurling just enough of the paper to read the first few lines she leaned into the morning sun.

"Hey, Stitcher Girl."

Stitcher Girl? Was it possibly from Snotlout? Maybe it really was for her. She examined the outside of the parchment again looking for a name. Nothing. she began to read again.

"Hey, Stitcher Girl,

"I told you I would find a way to stay in contact with you and I have. Terrible Terror Mail or T-Mail for short. Fishface and Hiccup have been working with the terrors here on Dragon's Edge and on Berk for a while now. They finally worked out most of the kinks and we have sent and received mail from Berk a few times. We can T-Mail back and forth now! You can tell me about all the boring things you're up to and I can dazzle you with my adventures as a Dragon Rider."

Sigyn chuckled. His handwriting was neat and easy to read and it kind of reminded her of the way he kept his room. It was certanly better than her untidy scrawl. She read on.

"We have been out here for almost two months, 56 days to be exact if you count since we first arrived here on Dragon's Edge. Almost two months and Dragons Edge is slowly being constructed. At first, we all argued about how we wanted to design the place but finally, we decided to design our individual houses and work together on the fortifications, training arena, dragon stalls, and clubhouse. It's all pretty ambitious but none of it is as cool as the hut I'm building. I'm building it on a platform that can be raised and lowered so I can have an amazing view when I want. Most of the roof and some of the walls are up. It's huge, well it has to be because Hookfang is huge. I wish you could see it in person but this drawing is what I hope it will look like when it's all done."

Sigyn glanced to the bottom of the page where a crude drawing was cramped. The drawing was very Snotlout… complete with a little muscled stick-figure flexing for her. She laughed and kept reading.

"Pretty awesome I know. And the best part is that it will have the big letter S above the door for Snotlout.

"We would have been further along in our building if we hadn't had to deal with the twins almost burning it all down to the ground. When I tell you the twins are crazy, I mean it. A few weeks back they were supposed to be out making a fire break to protect Dragon's Edge from the incoming migration of fireworms (little lizard-like dragons whose skin is so hot that it starts anything it touches on fire.) Anyway, the twins found this claim stone that said their clan had already been to the island and claimed it. We didn't believe them until Gober came out and said it was legit. Imagine the twins in charge of anything. Okay well done because it's a nightmare.

So apparently, legally, the island belonged to the twins. Hiccup had to let them take over. And keep in mind that every day more and more of these fireworms were arriving and starting new fires all over the place. The twins were ridiculous tyrants. They started making all these stupid rules and imposing taxes on everything. They even banned saying the letter "S"! Most random and annoying thing ever. Although if you can believe it they made Hiccup their stable boy. Haha! What a gag. At least I got to be sergeant at arms, which was cool until I broke a rule and had to put myself in jail. Ridiculous.

"Anyway, all this time the fireworm migration is coming on full steam and the twins, being the twins, are so power-drunk they are not preparing for widespread fires. It literally took fireworms raining down from the sky and setting Tuffnuts backside on fire until they would concede that they had no idea how to be leaders. Finally, they gave their claim to the island and turned leadership back over to Hiccup; although I don't see why Hiccup is always the de facto leader. It's not like he's the only one to ever come up with ideas.

"I hope you're doing good and this message got to you all right and not to someone else. I still don't have complete faith in the T-Mail system but it can't hurt, right? You have to write back to me! Anyway, I'm not sure when I'll be back to Berk but I promise to come visit when I do. See you later Stitcher Girl.

Dragon Boy.

PS: I'll keep my eyes open for a dragon for you to keep as your own! Just kidding.. Or am I?

PPS: Write back soon. I want to know if you got this letter and it didn't go missing."