Ninjago & HTTYD one-shots

Gruff Molting

(Am I aware that technically with my timeline I have based this to happen before Kai's arrival to the Edge? Yes. Do I care if I decide to bend that timeline a little when I have a one shot idea in mind? No because it's my story and this is where I can bend the universe to my will. Enjoy)

It was a peaceful morning on Dragon's Edge. The sun was only just beginning to shine over the horizon, it was a warm spring day, the skies were clear, birds were chirping, and the sky was bathed in beautiful oranges and pinks with dragon riders and dragons sleeping peacefully.

"GOOD MORNING DRAGONS EDGE!"

"What the?!" Hiccup startles awake when he hears a horn going off and Tuff nut's voice directly in his ear. All over the Edge dragon riders bolted up from bed as the Thorston twins use the thunder ear backwards to give their morning announcements.

"It's Ruff!" "And Tuff! And Chicken!" Tuff holds up his pet chicken to the thunder ear who lets out a loud squawk into it. "In the morning! Today's weather is freezing cold, tomorrows weather freezing cold," Ruff goes on about the weather as Snot-lout yells at them for waking them all up this morning and using the thunder ear backwards.

"Or are we using it right-wards? TO INFORM THE MASSES!" Tuff yells into the thunder ear again making everyone groan knowing they wouldn't get anymore sleep this morning.

"Plus the ear wax on this keeps our lips from chapping. You know we should really market this," Ruff commented as Astrid brought herself outside revealing herself looking like a zombie scaring Fish-legs who screams. Astrid is not a morning shield maiden.

"Now let's check out the terrible terror mail that came in this morning," Ruff said grabbing a random parchment and unfurling it. "Here's one for Snot-lout! I miss your snuggles too signed mommy," Ruff teases. "Hey! That's private!" Snot-lout exclaims a blushing slightly in the cheeks.

"And here for Hiccup Haddock we got some fancy paper with a baby dragon attached to it!" Tuff declares excited. "You know her, you love her, and you can't deny she's adorable, it's Ember!" Ruff declares holding up the baby fire dragon in her arms for the entire Edge to see. Hiccup looks up at this and was surprised to see Ember with the twins and then looks around wondering where his brother was hiding.

"The message says dear Hiccup hate to do this on short notice, but we've gotten a lead on our missing Master Wu being in a remote part of Ninjago called Metalonia where it is a criminal offence to bring any dragons that are not metal dragons. We are leaving Ember with you for a few days because you are the best choice and if we're not back to pick her up within two weeks then we are either dead or imprisoned for reasons to be determined. Also a bunch of other boring stuff," Ruff tosses the parchment aside and grabbed the last one unfurling it.

"Hey this one's for us!" She exclaims excited, but that excitement quickly faded as she read it out loud. "Dear Ruff and Tuff your cousin Gruff nut is on his way to visit you today," She frowns and looks to her brother seeing him gasp in shock and excitement. "Gruff-nut?! He's coming here? Agh look at me! Shows over I gotta go get ready!" Tuff threw his chicken to Ruff rushing off to get ready.

About a hour later all the dragon riders were gathered in the Clubhouse with Tuff nut sweeping meticulously and making sure everything was perfect, but everyone else was more interested in Ember. The baby dragon was curled in Hiccup's lap and was very sluggish and running a slight fever.

"Is she sick?" Astrid worries, but Hiccup shook his head readying the rest of the letter Ruff didn't read out. "No Ember's in her first molt. For elemental dragons they apparently only shed annually at certain times in their lives when they grow where the scales naturally just fall off, but according to this a dragons first molt is the worse because she's still a baby and doesn't know how to properly deal with it. The scales build up and make her uncomfortable, sluggish, it'll also hurt for her to do sudden movements and she can't fly for awhile as the new ones push into the old ones. Eventually it will build up, then loosen, until they naturally come off. Kai left me instructions on what to do to help her," Hiccup reveals the rest of the scroll that fell to his feet. "A lot of instructions," Hiccup said scanning down the list.