touch the sky | hiccup h.

⇿ i'm already a very terrific viking specimen

"Fire! There's a fire!" the shouting wakes me up almost immediately. "Get up!" I roll over and see Astrid pulling her boots on. "Wait there's an actual fire?" I question as I try my best to rub the sleep from my eyes. "No, it's a flood," She deadpans and I roll my eyes as I sit up. I reach for my boots that should be under my bed. "Wh- where?" I question but they fling out going across the room. "Thanks, Mock," I mumble as I stand and go get them. I sit on Astrid's bed as I pull them on, she's already up and sliding her coat on. "Go," I wave her off knowing she'll wait for me if I don't. These last few months she's been much friendlier and shit. Always waking me up with a smile and inviting me and Mock on flights with her and Stormfly. She starts to climb down the ladder but jumps after only a few rungs. "Common girl," she calls for her dragon who follows her effortlessly down. She's been way too sisterly, probably to make up for the fact my own father won't even look at me still.

Mock gurgles out at me as if hurrying me and I flip him off. "I'm trying to be fast, I'm not going slow on purpose, okay?" I bite out grouchy from the lack of sleep. He sends a puff of smoke at me how he knows I dislike. "My bad moody pants," I quip back as I put my coat on. "Ready?" I ask not bothering to look at him as I turn to the ladder. Unlike Astrid I climb down the ladder on my own, not wanting to risk falling in my half-sleep state. As soon as we get outside Mock throws me onto his back. "Okay- okay," I call as he heads over to where the large fire is.

As we get closer we can see the other dragon riders dumping barrels of fire onto the growing flames. "Shit, that's Gobbers house," I groan knowing this is like the third time in the last few months his house has been subject to a fire. "Come on dude, go get that barrel, please?" I beg the last part out knowing my dragon has a tendency to do the opposite of what I ask of him. He must realize how important this situation is because he complies.

"Yes, on the left!" The chief orders to a group of gronckle riders, "Oh, good! On the smoke stack Freya!" The chief orders and I don't have to bed Mock to do anything this time, he complies on his own. "Let's dump one more and it should be good," I tell him and he growls out in agreement. As we dive down to get one more barrel and I notice the one-legged tool join us. "Glad you gave up your beauty sleep for this," I tease as we fly next to him. "What? Nah? I don't need none, I'm already a very terrific Viking specimen," He flexes which causes Mock to bark out a laugh which makes me laugh.

Toothless is quicker than us at dumping his bucket, probably eager to go back to sleep, cause it takes him only seconds to be back on the ground next to the chief. Mockfire doesn't need any direction on where to put the fire, he dumps the barrel directly over the last remaining bit of lit embers before following the others to the ground.

All the other teens are here leaning against their dragons as if trying to stay awake. "I'm right here!" Gobber announces as he appears from the forge's side door. He's rolling out a large cart filled with various weapons and traps. "What the-?" I whisper under my breath slightly confused for the older man's strange behavior. "Gobber, what happened?" Stoik asked worried for his longtime friend. "What's it look like? A dragon set my house on fire!" The older man rolls the cart out closer to the large crowd of villagers who have formed. "What?" Multiple people ask from the crowd. I turn to Hiccup confused by this accusation. 

"You've pushed me too far this time, you ugly bag of bones!" Gobber yells to the sky and I sigh realizing he's just crazy. Mock lets me lean against him and I feel his heat radiating off, warming me in the process. "Dad, what's he talking about?" Hiccup finally asks his father who already looks like he's about to have a headache. "Our dragons don't do that anymore." I cut in knowing he's not entirely right. "Well some of our dragons don't do that," I turn to face the twins and their deranged zippleback. They look almost offended that I would insinuate anything. "We don't like that tone of your missy," Tuff argues as his twin puts her finger up and moves it back and forth. "Nuh-ah!" I roll my eyes at them.

"He doesn't mean one of your dragons," Stoik explains and the twins nod in agreement. "For the last time, there is no such thing as a-," but Gobber cuts him off. "A bonenapper!" The whole crowd seems to groan in annoyance at the greasy man. "A what napper?" Tuff asks with a shit-eating grin. "A disgusting fowl beast," Gobber turns towards the teens one by one, "wearing a coat of stolen bones, like a giant flying skeleton." I watch the crazy man unamused with his children's fable. My mom used to tell me about it and how it would search for only perfect bones and shit. It was just a story so kids wouldn't go off alone.

"The dragon manual says that the bonenapper will stop at nothing to find the perfect bone to complete its armor," Fishlegs recites what I already know. "Come one! It's a myth!" The Chief groans out unconvinced by this whole thing. "It doesn't even exist." This sets Gobber off causing him to turn to face Stoick with a crazed look. "I'm telling you! It's real!" Gobber argues and I feel Mock shift into a sitting position and I readjust so I'm more comfortable against this side. "I've been running from him my whole life! He's the one that started this fire."

"Stoik!" a man comes running up with some cloth on a stick. "We found Gobber's underpants hanging by the stove, they must have started the fire," He explains and I scrunch my nose up in disgust when I realize what's on the end of the stick. Laughter rings out through the crowd and I catch Hiccup's eye who's neither laughing nor appears grossed out. He has a look in his eyes that I know I won't like the outcome of.

"Still think it's the bonenapper?" Stoik teases which causes the rest of the crowd to laugh. I feel slightly bad for the older man as he grabs his underpants. "I know! Somehow he found me again. This dragon is pure evil!" Gobber explains while whispering and looking around wildly as if the mythical dragon is actually here. "Gobber, we're all tired from your stories, get some rest please," The Chief begs but Gobber shakes his head wildly. "You rest, I'm putting an end to this!" He wheels his small cart away towards the docks only stopping to grab his sheep.

I yawn feeling glad I can go back to my bed, it hasn't been very long so it should still be warm. "All right Vikings, grab your shields!" Hiccup orders which stops me and Mock from walking away. The twins and Fishlegs both cheer excitedly at the same time. "You're fucking with me, aren't you?" I ask confused but he smiles at me. "You want us to go find a fake dragon?" I ask and Hiccup simply shrugs. "Oh, my gods!" I groan out annoyed.