New Life Ahead [HTTYD]

Chapter 17: The Flying Kipper

Following the raid, the dragons led by the female Night Fury returned to the nest with enough nets to capture a whale. Raid rations were later divided amongst the families and leaders that morning. Hatchlings were delighted to see the fresh catch of mutton and often teased about the frightened live cattle their parents caught.

Hiccup enjoyed a nice serving of fresh mutton, but was glad to see the stockpile of nets. All he could think of how they would fish with them, and how many fish they could catch. It would lower the necessity to raid Viking villages, namely his hometown.

That night, Hiccup walked outside to an outcropping overlooking the sea. Light fog loomed over the glassy ocean surface but one could still see the stars overhead. Hiccup gazed up at the moonlit sky. Take care guys... he said to himself. I haven't forgotten...

"Still thinking about them, huh?" Hiccup instantly snapped back into reality. He turned around to see who it was, rolling his eyes in annoyance to see it was only the male Night Fury.

"Still entering my mind, I see..." Hiccup sarcastically replied. "Yes, I'm still thinking about them..."

"Don't worry yourself too much, Hiccup. We did everything we could," The Night Fury assured him as he walked to the edge of the outcropping. "They'll make it through the winter. We made sure not to raid too much. No human was injured..."

The former human solemnly smiled at the news, then returned his gaze to the horizon. "To tell you the truth, I'm actually nervous about tomorrow..."

"There's no need to worry in fish, Hiccup. I've seen you humans fish before. With dragons, it's hard to say how many fish could be caught."

"Net capacity's the same, the velocity's different..." Hiccup thought aloud. "Hopefully my math's correct..."

"Your math will make sure of it, I guarantee it..."

Fish and friends weren't the only things that uneased his mind. He secretly had to keep out any thoughts about what he had just learned about the Night Fury's so called "son".

The next morning all the dragons were gathered on top of the highest outcropping, including the young hatchlings who were eagerly chirping. Both Hiccup and the female Night Fury stood at the edge of the peak, holding one of the human-made nets in their mouth and feet.

"Now remember, as we move closer towards the sea, drop the net carefully into the ocean, but hold on to it," Hiccup instructed. "When the net gets heavier we both fly up on my signal and if we have any luck there will be enough fish for all of us."

"Yeah, yeah, I know; That's the third time now Hiccup," she sighed. "I'm not some dumb Terror..."

"HEY!!" A shrill voice exclaimed followed by various dragons chuckling.

"Alright then. Ready? Get set. GO!!"

(cue music)

As soon as the Viking dragon shouted this, they plunged themselves off the peak. At terrifying speed they flew towards the ocean. Both dragons stretched out their wings just in time and glided over the surface of the water.

"Drop the net!" Hiccup shouted.

Carefully stretching out both of her feet, the female Fury plunged the net in the water. Hiccup did the same as well. After a few minutes the net grew heavier and both dragons had to flap their wings several times to keep from crashing into the sea.

"I think it's full enough now. You think you can pull the net up?" Hiccup asked.

"I hope so..." she growled, concentrating on the staggering heavy load.

"Okay then... NOW!!"

He flapped his wings with all his might as she did the same. She gritted her teeth, but kept pulling on the net. It surfaced from the water and was filled with various types of fish. When the two Night Furies saw this they both roared in excitement. They could now provide everyone! Hiccup looked at the female and saw that now she had no trouble lifting up the net. The happiness must have given her new energy. He smiled as they both flew back to the other dragons.

Every adult dragon of each species in the nest soon caught the hang of it and were bringing in fish by the ton. An hour and a few flights later, a huge pile of fish lay on top of the mountain, ready to be eaten. The younglings immediately dove in, eating till their starving bellies were full. The adults had enough to eat as well. At least enough so that they would not go hungry again for another four days. Hiccup and the Night Fury family were sitting further away, witnessing the happy event while munching on some fish.

"You know Hiccup, maybe you have not realized it, but you've given us something more important than food today." the male Fury said.

"What's that then?" Hiccup asked.

"Hope," the dragon's mate politely intervened. "You've given us hope. Therefore I think I speak for all dragons when I say... Thank you. For everything..."

This comment made Hiccup's heart soar. He never got this kind of appreciation in Berk. He felt that he was blushing and turned his head away, hoping that neither of the dragons notice it. Maybe a life as a dragon was not so bad after all.

Still... He hardly could wait to see his friends again...

Finally updated!! Sorry for the short chapter everyone, but more importantly, sorry for the extremely long hiatus. I was so busy over the summer and now I'm so busy dealing with university and life in general. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as this story starts to progress towards the end. I was thinking that I should end this book at around twenty to twenty-three chapters, depending on what I have in mind. Anyway, sorry to keep you all waiting and be sure to check out my other books as well!

-RLS