When I Come Back

Past pt. 1

Astrid

   Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, snapping me from my thoughts.

   Hiccup, Snotlout, and I exchange looks before quickly flying to the source. 

   We hadn't had much trouble with anyone while Hiccup was gone. Hiccup and Toothless were always everyone's target. The Gang and I were usually just the tools they needed to draw Hiccup in.  

   When we finally made it to where the explosion originated from, the twins could be spotted running off into the nearby forest. 

Why am I not surprised?

   What did surprise me though, is the laughter escaping Hiccup. Usually he'd groan in annoyance at the twins' games and pranks. Instead, he was in fact erupting in laughter. 

   He finishes his fit of laughter with a shake of his head.

"Man, the twins and their pranks. I miss their little immature ways. Everything's always so serious." he says, staring at the place with now a scorched circle of dirt. 

  "That's because you haven't dealt with it in five years." I said, playfully. 

"Yeah, they get annoying real quick." Snotlout adds. 

   Hiccup shakes his head again, "No, I have a different perspective on it now. I'm glad they're the way they are. "

   We sit there for a few minutes just staring in silence at the scorched circle. 

I wonder what changed his mind about the twins....

Do they remind him of someone back at the academy? 

"Alright, there was no damage done. We should head back." Hiccup breaks the silence. 

His mood defiantly has changed...

                                                         ***

"Today was soooo loonngg." Snotlout whines as he takes his seat at the table.

"Snotlout, the day's not over. It's just lunch." I say, coming to the table and sitting down with Hiccup. 

"Yeah, well you don't have to do anymore labor for the rest of the day!" he protests. 

"What do you mean?" Hiccup chimes in. 

"A couple years ago, Astrid started training the kids to become the best skilled warriors." Heather explains.  

"I've been teaching them reading, writing, the history of the archipelago, working with numbers, and even a bit of science!" Fishlegs joins excitedly.   

"Wow!" Hiccup exclaims, "That's amazing!!"

"These kids are the future of Berk. They're already responding really well to their training." I boast. 

"Yeah, so they get to go play with kids for the rest of the day, while the rest of us have to do real work." Snotlout complains.

"We don't play with the kids Snotlout. This is serious training for the future of Berk." I retort. 

"You know, if all you did was play with the kids, I wouldn't blame you." Tuffnut starts. 

"Yeah, they're really fun to hang with." Ruff agrees. 

"Especially Buff and Gruff." Tuff adds. 

   Buffnut and Gruffnut are twins too. They're cousins to Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Much like the twins, Buff and Gruff worship Loki, the god of pranks, and think that each prank they pull is a gift. 

   One year, they even made a pact to prank at least three people everyday. Which they did, with help from Tuffnut and Ruffnut, of course. The four of them drove the entire island crazy. 

   No matter the immaturity and pranks they pulled,  Buff and Gruff are extremely skilled in stealth and surprise attacks. They're  quick on their feet and tread lightly, minimizing the noise each move makes. 

   Just then, Gobber crashes into our table, causing the papers in his hand to fly all over the place. 

"Woah, Gobber are you ok?" I ask, lifting a few papers off of my plate of food. 

"What is all this?" Hiccup asks, giving a few back to Gobber. 

"Nothing you yungin's need to worry about." he says, grabbing the rest of the papers and rushing out of the hall.