Life on the Edge

2.01 Team Astrid

"You know this is a bad idea, right?" Ragnar asks.

Tuffnut waves him off, still focused on the Night Terror in front of him. "Uh, no. I know this is an awesome idea."

"Smidvarg and the Gang are supposed to be sentries," he reminds him. "They're not pets for you to train."

"And yet," Ruffnut says, waving a stick in front of one of the Terrors, "here we are. Training them. Successfully, might I add."

Fishlegs tilts his hand back and forth. "Eh, kind of."

She scoffs. "Ah, what do you know? Just watch and learn."

Ragnar sighs as he watches, already sure he'll learn absolutely nothing. Fortunately, their little 'training' session is put to a quick end when Hiccup and Astrid land in the arena.

"Uh, what are you two doing?" Hiccup asks as he makes his way over.

"What does it look like we're doing? Dragon training!" Ruffnut says like it should be obvious.

Tuffnut turns around with the Night Terror in his hands. "You would think that you, of all people, would recognize that."

Hiccup turns to Ragnar, silently asking for an explanation.

"I figured it would be easiest to let Astrid handle them when you got back from patrol," he says with a shrug.

"Prepare to be amazed, my friend," Tuffnut tells him. He gently tosses the Night Terror to the ground. "Okay. Ready, little guy? Shake!"

The Night Terror proceeds to roll over onto his back and writhe around.

Tuffnut laughs. "Right? See, you thought it would be a handshake. He'd put out his little paw, but I taught him-"

"Oh, no. No," Hiccup interrupts. "We understand. I'm just not sure how useful a skill that is."

"It's not," Ragnar says bluntly.

"Well, that's not all he does," Tuffnut defends while Ruffnut starts waving around her stick again. "You wanna see him get my slippers?"

"These dragons are not our pets, Tuffnut," Astrid tells him. "They're an integral part of our security system."

Ruffnut looks between her and Ragnar with a frown. "Huh. Weird. Ragnar was just telling us that."

"He can also solve math problems by stomping his foot," Tuffnut informs them. He holds up three fingers. "As long as the answer is always three."

"They have a point, Tuffnut," Hiccup says, completely ignoring the dragon's apparent math skills. He gestures at Chicken. "And you have a pet already."

She clucks at him, but Tuffnut only shrugs.

"Eh," he says dismissively.

"Dagur could park a whole fleet right offshore, and we wouldn't even know they were there because the Night Terrors aren't on their perches," Astrid reminds him.

Snotlout rolls his eyes. "Lighten up, Astrid. Dagur doesn't even know where Dragon's Edge is."

"Not yet," Astrid and Ragnar say in unison.

She gestures at him in approval before she refocuses on Snotlout, poking one finger against his chest. "If you guys don't take this seriously then he will soon enough."

Snotlout leaps back and away from her finger. "I say bring it on!" he dares, hands planted confidently on his hips. "Let him bring that weak sauce in here. Hookfang and I will pummel his deranged butt."