"Sir, I can prove that I've been in contact with the Night Furies!" Fishlegs had found the chief in the forge, talking to Gobber about the need for more weapons for the village. Gobber was protesting that he couldn't keep up with the demand without help from his missing apprentice; he was grateful for the distraction.
"Young man, I have neither the time nor the energy for more pranks," the chief rumbled.
"This isn't a prank, sir! Look and see for yourself!" He held out a handful of the scales. Stoick took them curiously, then handed one to Gobber as he closely examined one himself.
"What is it?" the smith asked.
"They're Night Fury scales, sir," Fishlegs explained. "I visited the Night Furies this morning, and I talked to Hiccup some more."
"I've never seen anything like it," the chief said, focusing on the scales and choosing to ignore the reference to his son for the moment.
"It does look like a scale o' some kind," Gobber nodded, "an' it's not from any dragon I've ever fought before."
"Young man, go find Spitelout and bring him back to the forge," Stoick decided. "This calls for immediate discussion." The big young man left at a run, and returned about ten minutes later with the town's second-in-command. Fishlegs told his story, and Stoick showed Spitelout the scales. A few seconds of silence followed, as each of them processed his thoughts.
"You didn't get yourself in enough trouble the first time, young man?" Spitelout demanded. "You're back for more?"
"Th' lad's got hard evidence this time," Gobber retorted.
"A handful of black circles! They could have come from anywhere!"
"If they are Night Fury scales, then at least part of his tale is true," Stoick thought out loud, "and that would lend weight to the rest of his story."
Spitelout was shocked. "Stoick, you're not seriously suggesting that you think he's right?!"
"No," the chief answered slowly, "but he's starting to look a lot less wrong."
"If it's true," Gobber mused, "that means we canna shoot down any Night Furies, fer fear o' killin' Hiccup."
"If he's right, that means the Night Furies can burn our village to the ground," Spitelout exclaimed, "and we don't dare do a thing about it!"
"We've never hit one anyway, so what difference does that make?" Stoick answered, beginning to shake off his emotional shock at Fishlegs' revelations.
"I'll tell you what difference it makes!" Spitelout was amazed that the other two didn't get it. "Didn't you hear what the young man said? This dragon, Hiccup or not, has a mate! They're going to lay eggs, right here on this island! We're going to be up to our armpits in deadly Night Furies!"
"Seein' how rare they are, I doubt they breed as quickly as all o' that," Gobber interrupted.
"But that isn't even the worst part," Spitelout went on, ignoring him. "Stoick, is your son stupid?"
"No!" the chief burst out angrily. "My son has his faults, but stupidity is not one of them."
"Then consider what we're going to be up against, Stoick. Dozens and dozens of Night Furies, all ready and willing to tear our town apart... but not just anyNight Furies! They will be Night Furies with minds like Hiccup's mind – smart, clever, able to think of new things and new ways to do things. These Night Furies will be the most dangerous enemies we could ever imagine, with the fire of a dragon and the mind of a Hiccup. They can outfight us and out-think us!"
