The Great Beyond

Chapter 41: Gruff Around the Edges (Hiccup)

"Good morning, Dragon's Edge!"

My heart thundered against my ribcage as Tuffnut's voice blared out through the island. My eyes shot wide open, startled, and Reign instantly launched herself out of bed, reaching for her sword she kept nearby and holding it out in front of her. She panted heavily for a second, her green eyes bouncing around, before the two of us realized it was just Tuff being Tuff, and we at least settled down a bit. Reign eased herself to sit back down on the bed, and I inched forward, wrapping my arms around her waist and shoulders, and placed a kiss on the crook of her neck.

"It's Tuff..."

"...and Ruff..."

"...and Chicken..."

"...in the mornings!"

Reign groaned and shook her head, burying her face in her hands.

"Remind me why we let the twins have access to the Thunder Ear, again?" she sighed, her gaze fixing on me with a slight glare.

"You think I haven't tried?" I couldn't help but laugh a little. "They don't listen, they don't pay attention to signs, and it has to stay where it is, so I can't lock it up."

"All right, folks," I heard Ruffnut shout through the device meant to be for listening for Hunters and dragons getting too close. "Now it's time for your weather forecast. Today will be freezing cold. Tomorrow will be, well, freezing cold."

Reluctantly, Reign and I pushed ourselves out of bed and put our armor on, bracing ourselves for the aforementioned cold as we opened the front door. A shudder immediately slithered through her, prompting me to re-attach myself to her side. I could see the twins saying something to Snotlout just over on the hill, then they turned back to the Thunder Ear—which they were still using incorrectly.

"Okay, let's check the old mail bag and see what Terrible Terror mails came in last night." I watched as the twins ruffled through an actual bag of Terror Mails they'd clearly interfered with. Every day, those guys proved that they were excellent at ignoring the boundaries of privacy. "Ah! Here's one for Snotlout, 'I miss your snuggles, too. Love, Mommy.'" Beside me, I heard Reign snicker.

"Hey, that's private!" Snotout protested, his words faded due to distance. The twins, however, just moved on.

"Whoa! This one's addressed to us," Ruff exclaimed excitedly. "'Dear Ruff and Tuff, your cousin Gruffnut is on his way to visit you today."

I groaned, dreading that experience. Ruff and Tuff's cousin hadn't ever come around before, but from the bits I'd heard, he sounded even more destructive than the twins. Unfortunately for the rest of us, having a guest on the Edge also meant making sure that the wild dragons were calmed for a while, there wasn't any hazard or risk to a person's life, and in the case of Gruffnut, ensuring that all valuables were hidden or otherwise secured.

"Well..." Reign ruffled some of her hair. "There goes my idea for the morning."

I didn't know whether to laugh or show my disappointment as we turned to start preparing our own hut.

"I didn't realize the twins had a cousin," she mused as she folded up a blanket she'd picked up from outside and set it on our couch. Last night, we'd used it to lay out on our dock and just enjoy the nice weather, but I guess when I carried Reign in after she fell asleep, I'd neglected to go back for that piece of fabric. "I figured two of them was enough."