Darkling Island

Part One: Darkness Falls

One: Darkness Falls.

"Is it much further?" Snotlout asked for the fifteenth time, his voice grating. Hiccup tightened his hands on Toothless's saddle and counted to ten...then twenty...then thirty...

"No," he finally said in a tight voice. "The Dragon Eye showed the island is over...there!" And indeed, just on the horizon, a lumpy brown silhouette was just appearing in the mist.

"FINALLY!" Snotlout shouted but the twins just groaned.

"Yeah, dude-that's great...but we aren't there yet," Tuffnut sighed.

"And then we have to fly all the way back!" Ruffnut added. "Just when we were working up our Loki Day pranks...we lose the whole of the day to this stupid trip!"

"Hey! The chance to discover and study a new dragon species on an unknown island is hardly a waste of time!" Fishlegs called over. "Oooh! I wonder what species we'll find...and what special features they may have? Will they be friendly? Dangerous? Herd-living? Eel-Eating? Poisonous? Trainable?..."

"...and very, very dull!" Snotlout shouted. "Fishface, you really should get out a bit more..."

"What do you think you're doing now?" Astrid shot back, also very tired of his complaining. Snotlout drifted Hookfang, his Monstrous Nightmare, closer to her.

"Well, babe-maybe once we get there, you and me could lose the dork crew and go and explore...together?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Astrid frowned.

"And my breakfast is in my throat," she muttered. "Hiccup-why do we bring them every time?" He sighed.

"Because I remember being told off for 'trying to sneak away'," he called back. "What was it? Oh yeah-we're a team, Hiccup, and we all are stronger as a team than on our own! Or is that not the case any more?" He caught her scowl. "I am going to get so punched for that," he sighed to Toothless, who gave a laughing warble. "It's okay for you, bud," he murmured. "You haven't loved her forever. I am never going to be good enough for her."

It wasn't long before they were crossing the coast of a small to medium island that was moderately rocky with steep cliffs and an open forest covering most of the island. The riders found a small clearing and landed their dragons gratefully, all eager to get out of the saddle and stretch their legs. The twins went wild, bumping heads and punching each other and Snotlout collapsed to the ground, lacing his hands behind his head and looking like he was preparing for a nap. Hiccup stretched, his neck cracking audibly and winced as his leg twinged: it got stiff after long flights and usually he was good at hiding it. He frowned and looked up: the island was very quiet.

"Let's have a look around," he suggested, feeling the eyes of the others on him. He had suggested the mission and so it was his responsibility. He just wished they could have seen more of the island from the air before they landed. He sighed. The dragons had all curled up tiredly. "And I guess the dragons want a rest." Toothless cast him a weary look and closed his eyes pointedly. "Thanks, useless reptile. If I get eaten, it will be all your fault!" Hiccup grumbled as Astrid strode to his side.

"Teams?" she asked sweetly. He gave a small smile.

"Well..." he began.

"You're with me, babe!" Snotlout announced, grinning. Astrid snapped her head round and glared at Hiccup but he looked helplessly and shrugged.

"Okay-Fish, you're with me. Twins..."

"Yeah, yeah-we're together," Tuffnut sighed. "I get it. No one sees us as individuals, merely facets of the same composite whole."

"And our individuality has become completely subsumed in the gestalt organism termed as 'Twins'," Ruffnut concluded.

There was a long silence as everyone stared open-mouthed at the twins. Snotlout was staring mainly because he hadn't understood a word after 'yeah'! Hiccup cast his troubled green gaze across the group as every eye turned to him to sort out the problem. He bunched his fists and glared at them.