Tuffnutt Thorston
Nadig rolled up the map, handing it off to them. "Now, I'd prefer you hide this somewhere, where no one can see you walk off this ship with it." Hiccup instinctively reached for it, before shooting his dad a questioning look. Stoick decided his son was best to have it and gave him a solid nod. Hiccup tucked it as close he could underneath his armor, in case a straggling Viking had chosen to wander aboard. Despite their order to leave the ship while they talked.
"Why don't you guys take that crate below the window?" Nadig suggested. "It's filled with the finest silk, and would help explain why the chief and his son were in here for a while."
"I'll get it," Tuffnut suggested.
With the impromptu meeting adjourned, they began to filter out of the cabin. Hiccup called out, "Toothless!" and he landed in front of them.
The trader gave out a startled yelp and stumbled backward tripping on his own feet, ultimately falling on the deck. "D-d-dragon! Is that a . . . Night Fury? So it is true!"
"That we're Dragon Riders?" Tuffnut asked. "Yeah, that's the usual reaction."
"We should leave now," Hiccup brought up. "Head back to the 'Edge."
"Right," Tuffnut handed the crate of silk off to Stoick, and called out, "Hey, Belch! Barf!"
They all waited for a good minute. Nothing. Then Ska'i tried, it, and the Zippleback came flying out of nowhere, immediately landing next to Toothless.
"Oh sure, he comes when you call," Tuffnut grumbled. "Betrayed by my own dragon!"
"Be careful, Hiccup. The rest of you included," Stoick commanded.
Hiccup gave his dad a firm nod, while Tuffnut and Ska'i wasted no more time in mounting Barf and Belch. His urgency to get back to the 'Edge was infectious and Tuffnut guessed it was due to the premature excitement of finding another stone! In what felt like no time at all, they arrived back at the 'Edge, right as the last bit of sun dipped below the horizon.
Fishlegs was on watch, seeing as the Night Furies weren't even out yet. "Hey, guys! How'd it . . . go?" He trailed off, noticing the severe look on Hiccup's face.
"Fishlegs. Where is everyone?" He demanded right when the dragons landed.
"Um, I'm not quite sure. Ruffnut might be eating in the Clubhouse, and I took over Astrid's watch, so she might be resting at her house."
"Find them. Get them together. We'll meet in the Clubhouse. Tuff, Ska'i - Tuffnut, I mean. Sorry, habit - the flight there, especially back, must have been pretty hard on our dragons."
Toothless gave him a sharp, offended look. But Hiccup shot him a stern one right back, barreling ahead, "Go ahead and care for them in the stables. I want everyone in the Clubhouse within ten minutes! There's still some light out. I want to hold a meeting." And off he stalked.
"Hmph," Tuffnut hrumphed. "Well, that was rather bossy of him.
"Hmm," Ska'i pondered. "Maybe he's just anxious to find The Fire Stone."
"I guess," Tuffnut begrudgingly agreed. With a specific gentleness, he shut the doors to the stables when they were done, and they made their way over to the Clubhouse as instructed.
Astrid and Ruffnut had beaten them there; Fishlegs had succeeded. Hiccup stopped his pacing when Tuffnut and Ska'i entered, and walked over to the table, producing the map.
"What's that?" Astrid asked before he even got a chance to uncrinkle it.
"This is supposedly the island where The Fire Stone is."
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