Life on the Edge

3.04 Turn and Burn

The familiar clang of a hammer against metal rings across the Edge. Ragnar leans against Nightshade's side as they watch Hiccup work, reaching over to scratch beneath Toothless' earflap when the black dragon gives a low croon.

"So?" Hiccup asks, stepping back from the fully sized forge in front of his hut with his contraption in hand. "What do you think, bud?"

Toothless grunts and turns his head away in answer.

"You have no love for the old Dragonfly Two?" He holds up the red and white flight suit in question. "Oh, come on. You love these wings. They let me fly beside you. They put us in precarious situations that you always have to save me from."

Ragnar sighs and brings one hand up to press against his temple. "Hic..."

"Ragnar fixes me up and tells me not to do it again and then I inevitably do," he goes on, cheerful as anything. "It's terrific!"

"Not the word I would use," Ragnar says flatly.

Hiccup only sends him a smile before he turns back to the forge. "Alright. I think this is probably gonna need some welding." He glances back at Toothless. "Hey, bud? Can you fire up the forge?"

"I got it!"

Hiccup jumps and drops the Dragonfly Two at the unexpected voice, looking up to see Snotlout and Hookfang perched on top of his hut.

"Snotlout!" he snaps. "How many times have I told you to not sneak up on me like that?" He pauses when he hears a muffled laugh behind him and turns to give Ragnar a look. "Really? You're laughing at me?"

Ragnar shakes his head and lowers his hand to show a bright smile. "No. No. I'm good." He lightly nudges Nightshade when she shamelessly laughs in her own growling way.

Snotlout appears to completely miss their conversation. "Um, well, if you count now, I would say... I don't care," he says with a laugh of his own. He trails off with a sigh then sits up in his saddle, hands on Hookfang's horns. "Let me light the forge for you."

Hookfang growls in annoyance.

"Us," he corrects. "Let us light the forge for you." He glances down at his dragon. "Don't be so needy."

"You don't wanna do that, Snotlout," Ragnar warns him.

Hiccup nods. "Yeah. I think I'm okay."

Snotlout scoffs. "Hiccup, aren't you always complaining that I never do anything around here? Well, here I am." He crosses his arms and lifts his head. "Snotlout 'The Volunteer' Jorgenson. Ready to do Thor's work."

Ragnar tilts his head a little. "What on Midgard gives you the idea Thor goes around lighting forges for people?" he asks, genuinely curious.

A distant roll of thunder sounds in what can only be agreement.

Hiccup glances up at the clear sky when he hears it but doesn't comment. "Yeah. You helping is just what I'm afraid of," he admits.

"Watch and learn, Hiccup. Watch and learn," Snotlout says confidently. "Hookfang, hit it."

It doesn't take Ragnar's Sight to know what's about to happen. He and Hiccup both try to warn him.

"No! No! No!"

"You can't just light it!"

"You have to build it gradually!" they call in unison.

Naturally, Snotlout doesn't listen at all. The resulting explosion from his not-so-helpful help manages to catch Hiccup's entire building on fire.