"Speech"
'Thoughts'
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(3rd POV:Cinderwing)
Dusk painted the sky in bruised purples and fiery oranges as Cinderwing observed the fifth iteration of Gronckle Iron armor being tested on Toothless. The air hummed with the whir of the ballista and the flap of dragon wings. Even from a distance, the subtle shift in the armor around Toothless's belly was apparent – a looseness that, Cinderwing knew, would be far more than an inconvenience if those weren't paint-tipped arrows exploding in harmless bursts of color.
Snotlout's triumphant "Oy-Oy-Oy!" echoed across the training grounds as another paint arrow streaked from the ballista, narrowly missing Toothless. Fishlegs, meanwhile, launched clumsy nets that billowed in the wind, easily evaded by Hiccup and his Night Fury.
As Hiccup urged Toothless higher, a fatal flaw became evident. The belly and chest plates of the armor shifted, then detached completely, clattering to the ground. A satisfying splat of red paint bloomed on Toothless' chest.
"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oy-Oy-Oy!" Snotlout's chant grew louder, laced with smug victory.
"Alright, alright, nice shot, Snotlout," Hiccup conceded, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Another thwack and a splatter of red on his arm elicited a surprised "Really?" He leveled a mock glare at Snotlout.
Snotlout's booming laughter was cut short by a low growl from Toothless, followed by a focused, low-powered plasma blast that sent the Viking tumbling from his perch. "Ow," Snotlout grunted, landing unceremoniously.
A snort rumbled in Cinderwing's chest as the group, the sky deepening to twilight, began their trek towards the stables.
(Scene break)
Fishlegs trudged out of the stables, his shoulders slumped with frustration. "Ugh! I really thought we had it this time." He wrung his hands, his gaze fixed on the discarded pieces of Gronckle Iron armor.
Hiccup, leaning against Toothless and wiping a smear of red paint from his cheek, offered a weary smile. "Hey, this batch of Gronckle Iron armor lasted longer than the last one."
"Yes, but not long enough," Tuffnut commented as he, Ruffnut, and Snotlout sauntered out of the stables. "Wait, unless..." he trailed off, eyes narrowing, "...you wanted Hiccup to get shot down."
"Interesting hypothesis, brother," Ruffnut chimed in, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Tuffnut stepped right up to Fishlegs, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Why are you trying to kill Hiccup?" he accused dramatically. "I'm not trying to kill Hiccup!" Fishlegs stammered, holding his hands up in defense.
"That's exactly what someone trying to kill Hiccup would say," Tuffnut declared, unwavering.
"Indeed," Ruffnut echoed sagely, before leaning in to whisper conspiratorially in Fishlegs' ear, "We're keeping our good eye on you, pal."
Tuffnut punctuated this with a playful, yet slightly unsettling, wink at his left eye. "Our good eye."
Fishlegs, visibly uncomfortable, turned to Hiccup, dismissing the twins with a nervous glance. "So... what do we try next?" He held up a mangled piece of armor.
"Well, I think we have to go thinner." Hiccup suggested, rubbing his chin. "That should make it lighter and more flexible."
"But it won't make it Snotlout-proof. Nothing can." Snotlout interjected with a booming laugh, puffing out his chest. "It's a good thing that for you guys that I'm on your side." He preened, only to be promptly head-butted to the ground by a dryly amused Stormfly.
"You are, are you? Huh. Honestly, sometimes it's hard to tell," Astrid, perched on Stormfly's saddle, said with a healthy dose of sarcasm.
Just as Hiccup and Astrid began to converse, Cinderwing trotted up to Stormfly, nudging his snout against hers in a familiar greeting. "Back from Berk already? That was quick."
Stormfly huffed softly. "Didn't even make it. Ran into Trader Johann." She chirped, flicking her head. "Said something about Dragon Hunters and winter clothing. Astrid's filling the others in, so no point in me repeating it."
A teasing smile tugged at Cinderwing's lips. "Alright, sweetheart." Stormfly rolled her eyes good-naturedly at his teasing, and they began to head towards the clubhouse.
(Scene break)
Cinderwing settled down between Toothless and Stormfly, his ears swiveling as Astrid explained. "Johann flagged me down on the way to Berk," she recounted, "said he'd seen Ryker, Heather and the Dragon Hunters in the Northern Markets buying all the cold weather gear they could get their hands on."
"Why would you buy winter gear in the summer?" Snotlout asked, utterly bewildered.
"Hello. That's when you get the best prices." Ruffnut interjected matter-of-factly, as if it was the most logical thing in the world.
"Ruff is an excellent shopper." Tuffnut affirmed, Ruffnut humming in smug agreement. "She even snagged both our outfits for the price of one!"
"No one's surprised by that." Snotlout muttered under his breath.
"Where would the Dragon Hunters be going that would need heavy weather gear this time of year?" Hiccup pondered aloud, a thoughtful furrow in his brow. "Did Johann mention anything else?" he asked Astrid.
"They needed the gear right away. And they were after something rare. A bone, or a claw..."
"Or a tooth." Hiccup suggested, his eyes widening in realization.
"The Snowwraith! Of course!" Fishlegs breathed, realization dawning. "The Dragon Hunters are after the Snowwraith to get one of its teeth."
Tuffnut snorted derisively. "Yeah. Good luck with that. We barely got out of there alive."
Cinderwing stretched languidly, a yawn hinting at his slight boredom with the obvious. "The Dragon Eye used to belong to the Hunters." Hiccup affirmed, holding up the ancient artifact. "They must know they need a Snowwraith tooth to make it work."
"Who cares?" Snotlout interjected, crossing his arms with a dismissive smile. "All it means is that they aren't coming our way."
A shadow of worry crossed Hiccup's face. "Which means, if they do get their own key, they'll be coming for us next."
Cinderwing shifted, leaning against Stormfly's warm flank to enjoy the warmth. She huffed, a mixture of annoyance and amusement in her gaze, nudging him gently. Toothless watched the exchange with a deadpan stare, his eyes rolling almost imperceptibly as he mumbled something unintelligible.
"Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," Astrid said, arms crossed, her expression serious.
"Oh, he's thinking," Ruffnut quipped with a knowing smirk.
"That's definitely his thinking face." Tuffnut added helpfully.
"We can't let that happen," Hiccup declared, his voice firm. "Get a good night's sleep, gang. We leave for Glacier Island at first light." He turned and headed towards his hut, Toothless following close behind.
Cinderwing rose and stretched again, wings flexing. "Alright, see you all in the morning," he said, starting to trot towards the exit. "...Birdie." He added with a quick, teasing glance at Stormfly before launching into the dark sky.
Stormfly watched him go, a bewildered yet fond expression on her face. She then turned as Astrid gently guided her back towards the stables.
(Scene break)