The pink dawn of a cloudless new day peeked over the hillside horizon that was Dragon's Edge. Its' light began to steadily chase away the cold of the night air, thawing everything it came into contact with. The pool Fishlegs meditated by, the doors of the different Dragon Riders' homes, the very rocks they'd chosen to build their base on.
The Night Terrors' watch had ended, and they began to retreat into dreams of their own, trading guard with Astrid. She was usually the first to get up and run a patrol. Sometimes, Fishlegs or even Hiccup would be up at this early hour. But that was only due to his progress with some new project he was working on, all through the night. As far as Fishlegs went, he was most likely awake because he spiraled down the rabbit hole of recording some recently discovered research.
This morning, was no different than any other. Astrid and Stormfly could be seen stretching on the perch of their house, getting ready for a routine flight around the Edge. It appeared Hiccup, Fishlegs, and the rest were still sleeping.
Good, she confirmed. Everybody needs rest.
When the flight was over, they sat on a flat rock overlooking the east, watching the sun continue to rise in the sky. Gradually making their way back, they had nothing out of the ordinary to report. By this time, the rest of them were awake, and had gathered in the dining area of the Clubhouse, breaking their fast. The Riders over oatmeal - with berries, and nuts - the dragons over fish.
A pretty typical start to a pretty typical day.
Except for the twins. The two most lazy, and mischievous out of them all. Yup, pretty typical, indeed.
" 'Morning, Astrid!" Hiccup was the first to greet her. "How are things looking out there?"
"All good," she was always one to get right down to business. Fishlegs and her exchanged nods of greeting, as he slid a bowl topped with raspberries across the table. It was her second favorite, but that wasn't his job to remember. It was Hiccups'. "So what's the plan for today, Hiccup?" she asked.
Fishlegs paused in his eating, and Snotlout opened his sleepy eyes in alarm. "What? There's a plan? As in, there's supposed to be a plan? For today?"
"Yeeeah," Fishlegs hesitantly agreed. "I had planned on building some minor reinforcements for the Edges' defensive walls with some of the Gronkle iron that Meatlug made."
"Well," Hiccup said with some hesitancy. "I was saving this for a slow day. Which, I guess today is starting pretty slow."
"What is it?" Astrid asked, impatience showing in her voice.
"I was thinking the other day, that we should take a mini day trip to Melody Island - ."
"Wait, what?!" Snotlout shouted. "Isn't that where the Death Song lives - the dragon that eats other dragons?"
"Uh, yes," Hiccup confirmed, after a slight pause. "That island."
"Oh, there is no way in Niflheim that I am going back to that terrifying island of death!"
"What are you even - ?" Astrid started to ask, then cut herself off. "I thought you weren't scared of anything, Snoutlout."
"Yeah, what is it exactly that you're so worried about anyway?" Fishlegs asked quizically. "You know Monstrous Nightmare gel melts the Dragon Songs' amber; you ride Hookfang. There shouldn't be a problem."
"And! And we can use that to get some of the Death Songs' amber!" Hiccup exclaimed with that excitement he gets when he's eager to suggest an idea he's been sitting on. Here, Fishlegs perked up a bit. "I was thinking that we could try to harvest some of it to weaponize! In case of future dragon hunters, or for other crafty defenses."
"That's pretty interesting," Fishlegs chimed up. "Alright, I'm in!"
"Just like that?" Snotlout protested.
"Well, yeah," Fishlegs looked a little self-conscious, but he continued to roll with it. "I'm sure I could figure out a way to execute Hiccup's idea. I think it's pretty genius!"
"It was a rhetorical question, Fishlegs!"
"Do you even know what 'rhetorical' means?" Astrid couldn't help but ask incredulously.
"Yes!" Snoutlout snapped at her. "You know what? Fine," he gave in. "I'll go with you guys. But if I - or Hookfang - dies, then I am so coming back and killing you! Just to prove my point!" And he stormed off, grumbling.
"So," Astrid asked the remaining present Riders. "Who's going to wake the twins up?"
