TAW Tales: How to Train Your Shifters (#1)

~ Chapter 29 ~

"Did he mention anything about when this 'next battle' is gonna be?" Stoick asked as we watched the ship being pulled ashore.

Large, tough dragons like Gronckles and Rumplehorns were harnessed to chains on the hull, and were working as a team to drag it into Berk's docks. The crew had been safely apprehended (which involved a lot of fire, shouting and sharp weapons being thrown at people) and were now being held as hostages aboard their own ship, watched carefully by the Berks.

"No, they didn't say anything appart from the fact that it was going to be huge," Astrid sighed. "I don't even know where they got all their supplies from. I thought Outcast island was pretty much bare."

"Aye, so did I," Gobber said, hobbling over on his peg-leg, "But those Outcasts are shifty creatures, and I wouldn't be surprised if they burgled most of their wood and stone."

"So, what are we going to about this 'huge, unspeakable battle'?" Night asked.

"Technically-" I started, and everyone groaned.

"Here we go," Winter moaned, covering her eyes.

"-It's not an 'unspeakable' battle," I went on, ignoring them, "Because we're speaking about it right now, aren't we?"

"Mate," Zero said, grinning, "You probably won't be speaking about it much longer if you keep going on about it."

"But I didn't go on about it," I protested, smirking. "I only said one thing about it, didn't I?"

"I'm going to take a guess," Gobber said, glancing over us all, "And say that none of you have ever been in a Viking battle, right?"

"Wrong!" Winter's hand shot in the air.

We stared at her.

"I've been in a Viking battle," Winter continued, eyes shining.

We blinked.

"In my imagination," she said, pointing her her head.

Night face-palmed.

"You just keep telling yourself that," Zero said, patting Winter on the back.

"No, wait." I put a hand over my mouth thoughtfully. "She's right. We have been in battles and what-not, but only in our imaginations."

"Welp, Willow's officially turned over to the crazy-fan-girl-Winter side," Everest commented.

"Just listen," I relied. "When I mean 'in our imaginations', I mean it never happened."

Winter's face fell.

"-So why should it happen?" I went on, disreguaring her face. "Why do we need to battle? We can use our imaginations to-"

"-To imagine we live in a super-cute world where rainbows are in the sky all the time and unicorns dance with the sugar-plum fairies," Night laughed sarcastically.

"No, I mean to infiltrate their island and try to stop it happening," I replied blankly.

Night blinked. "Oh."

"That'll never work," Snotlout laughed. "I mean, first we'd have to-"

"Actually, this could work," Astrid said thoughtfully, distracted.

"Say what now?" said Snotlout.

"Think about it." Astrid's face lit up. "We could send a team in there to sabotage their boats, or their plans, or their dragons so they can't attack us."

"'Ey, now someone's using their imagination," I said, beaming.

"So, all we have to do is sneak onto their island and booby-trap all their attack-stuff," Tuffnut said.