How To Train Your Dragon 3 - A Tale of Two Tails -

Chapter Thirty-Four: Everything Goes Horribly Wrong

Toothless stepped out of the tent, he rubbed his eye groggily as he squinted at the sudden change in light.

However, he was not prepared to marvel at the sight before him. The forest looked surreal. The distant canopy above looked more like clouds of green than leaves, creating an ethereal ceiling. It glimmered a soft gold as slanted rays of sun poured in through its cracks like honey. A bouquet of songbirds pioneered the world above them, serenading the campers below with their sweet melodies as butterflies twirled near the ground in a constant dance. They looked more like flowers and as they rose higher, it was evident they were the blooms of the sky. Toothless had to fight with all his willpower to not chase them, but even then, they were still so tempting.

He was brought back to reality when he heard a loud grunt. As he tore his gaze away from the beauty of the island's morning, he let his eyes rest on the campsite, which was strangely empty.

He heard another grunt, and he realised that it was Eret. The former trapper was crouched near a fallen tree and it looked like he was having trouble lifting it.

Toothless hurried over to help.

Eret used all his strength trying to hoist the bark up, to the point where his face was beginning to turn red. Suddenly, it felt as if the tree was weightless and he easily lifted it from the ground.

"Need help?"

He turned around to see Toothless balancing the back of the log on his shoulder, grinning at him toothily.

"T-thanks?" he said, a little shocked at how friendly he was being.

The two men easily carried the load on their shoulders. They brought it further away from their campsite and deposited it near a creek, watching as it crashed against the woodland's floor with a loud thud.

Toothless frowned at the tree.

"What happened? This wasn't here last night."

"Tremor," Eret explained with his hands on his hips, "It fell a little too close to the girl's tent. So, I thought I would be a good idea to move it."

"Tremor? There wasn't any tremors when Hiccup and I were here."

"That's what it seemed like," he said and shrugged.

"Where's Skullcrusher? Where's anyone for that matter?"

" 'chief wanted to scout the island. I let him borrow Skullcrusher and he brought everyone else with him. I stayed behind to do a little 'spring-cleaning'," Eret continued, nodding towards the fallen log.

Toothless nodded silently, a nagging voice in the back of his mind.

"Apologize to Eret."

He sighed heavily.

"H-hey Eret?"

The man turned to him, raising an eyebrow at him curiously.

"Yes, lad?"

"I... I'm sorry about yesterday."

Eret blinked.

He burst out laughing, leaving Toothless slightly puzzled. The dragon cocked his head to the side in bewilderment.

"That's cute, lad. 'can tell you really like her."

"...I-is it really that obvious?"

"No. Not the slightest," Eret mocked him tonelessly before he grinned and raised his hands in defeat, "Look, I'll lay off her if it makes you happy."

The Night Fury felt a little uncomfortable at how easily he tossed the last sentence in.

"D-do you like her too?"