To The End - A Tuffnut Love Story (HTTYD)

37. A Great Loss

Just as the warriors began to part their seperate ways, Tuff and Ruff entered the arena. Iris smiled as they approached her and both threw an arm around her shoulders.

"I can't believe you're still training," Ruffnut spoke with a smirk and a laugh in her voice.

Iris smiled up at her and responded, "I will until I can't any longer."

"As long as you're being careful," Tufftold her.

His sister gave him an odd look before exclaiming, "it's so weird to hear you tell someone to stay out of danger."

"Yeah? Well it's weird to see you and Eret hugging and kissing in public all the time," Tuff retorted with a dramatic look of disgust on his face.

Iris laughed a bit and cut in before the siblings began to fight. "Where are the others?" She asked.

"Late," Ruff responded proudly, "we're so gonna rub this in their faces."

But something didn't seem right. The other riders were always on time, especially Astrid and Fishlegs. Iris frowned and squirmed out of the twins' arms. She jogged up and out of the arena. "Guys, come on," she called back to her husband and sister-in-law.

The two raced up to her. "Where are we going?" Tuffnut asked curiously.

Looking around, Iris spotted a crowd of vikings in the center of the village. "This way," she then made her way to the commotion. Weaving through the muttering vikings, Iris finally made it to the source.

On the ground laid Thorn. His wraith sibling was groaning softly with her head laid on his chest. Iris took a sharp breath in and hesitated before rushing to his side. "Thorn," she called, gripping his shoulder roughly. But his eyes were half open and lifeless. Iris squeezes her eyes shut to keep from crying, "Odin, no.."

Just then, a heart-breaking screech echoed through the village. Mora had just found out what was going on. Stumbling over to her husband, she grabbed his face with shaking hands.

"Everyone, go back to your business," Hiccup's voice boomed. The vikings scattered away, leaving just a few warriors and the dragon riders. Hiccup stopped the riders from approaching, however, "not right now..we don't want to crowd them. I'll figure out what's going on."

"I'm coming, too, Chief," Tuffnut spoke confidently, "they're my family now, too."

Hiccup nodded in understanding. The others left with reluctance and sorrow as Tuff and Hiccup went over to the mourning dragon warriors. Mora was crying loudly, rocking back and forth over the body of her dead husband. Ariel sat on her knees beside her mother with a hand on her back and silent tears in her eyes.

"This might not be the best time to ask," Hiccup spoke hesitantly as he knelt beside Iris, "but...what happened?"

Iris shook her head subconsciously to show that she had no idea. She came to her feet again, staring blankly at her fallen friend. It was only at the warm touch of her love that she came back to the world. Tuffnut hugged her tightly, comforting her with the silent conversation of his actions.

Soon, Mora's sobbing became lighter. Ariel, however, remained still and unreadable. After a moment, she spoke, "...it was the venom." This gained her everyone's attention. "He was trying to heal a sprained ankle," she explained in a monotone voice.

Iris exchanged a look with Tuff, then with Hiccup. "But-but that doesn't--he wouldn't have--why, how?" All of her questions came out in one, incomprehensible sentence.

There was silence as the sand wraith lifted her dead sibling onto her back and carried him off. She would take him to the beach and bury him deep in the sand. Mora and Ariel went as well, still shaken by the event.

"I..I'm sorry," Tuff empathized.

Iris took a deep breath and let it out, "it's okay; he is at peace now." Then her face hardened, "it seems that we won't be using sand wraith venom any longer." She began to walk away from the two men, "I must tell the others."

"Iris, wait," Tuffnut stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. He turned her around and looked into her lilac eyes, a sincere look on his face, "are you gonna be okay?"

She couldn't help but smile lightly at his concern. "I'll be alright, Tuff," she responded soothingly before leaning in to kiss him. "I just need to make sure it doesn't happen again." Then, she was off.

Tuffnut decided to go back to the house, since training had been cancelled due to the unexpected death. Inside, Soul was digging in the sand pit. "Uh, where's Arrow?" He wondered.

Upon hearing his voice, Soul sat straight up and looked at him. She struggled to make a cute smile before hopping over to him happily. Tuffnut chuckled and picked up the baby. "Let's go find your mom, okay?" The nightwraith started chewing on one of his dreds. "Hey! No," he exclaimed, pulling the hair from the dragon's mouth.

Soul unsheathed and bared her teeth. With much more force than before, she bit onto his hair, knocking him to the ground. "Ah! No, halp!" After a long, painful tussel with the baby dragon, Tuff was able to get her to calm down. Then, they left the house in search of Arrow and Toothless.