Chapter 115: The Royal Pans

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Chapter 115: The Royal Pans

"Ferngullians...I hate Ferngullians."

Snoutlout strained against his noose. The Vikings had been strung from a diseased tree with diseased branches for footholds. The tree was called Hangman's Tree. Apparently, Hangman's Tree contained an ancient demon named Hexxus. Hexxus had been imprisoned for eons, which the Ferngullians celebrated by hanging trespassers from the boughs. 

Hangman's Tree was Nature's gallows. Their nooses were actually jungle vines. Each vine was thick as an anaconda and infested with ants. As Snoutlout complained, Hiccup could feel tiny ant vibrations within his noose. His neck was also starting to itch....as if creepy-crawlies were nibbling out of the vine and up his ...great.

"Snoutlout." Hiccup shifted gingerly on his bough. His peg leg slipped. The noose tautened. Hiccup froze. It was a long drop down. "For once I agree with you. This is ridiculous. Did anybody see where they put our dragons?"

"Negatory, Young Hiccup! Our dragons are tostitos! Hey everybody, watch this..." Tuffnutt swung experimentally on his noose. He choked, spun, snagged a foothold, and heckled with Ruffnutt when he didn't die. "Whoa. My spinal cord almost ripped. Seriously that was awesome. Fishlegs you're fluffy, I bet you would snap! Give it a whirl."

Fishlegs whimpered. Astrid tried to knock Tuffnutt from the bough.

"Okay everyone calm down!" Hiccup was extremely aggravated. His body ached from maintaining his balance. Tuffnutt and Snoutlout were giving him a headache. And the dark, enchanted tree was playing tricks with his mind. With every other blink, Hiccup thought he saw a slimy smirk against the bark. "Enough with the fighting! We've got to beak free, and we've got to do it before we fall asleep. If we fall asleep ...well..."

"We'll fall off the tree!" Ruffnutt completed. "We'll fall off the tree and snap –crackle – pop – "

"SNAP goes your spinal cord!" sang Tuffnutt. "CRACKLE goes your vertebrae! And POP goes your head! And the little Vikings go wah, wah wah, all the way home!"

"Tuff." growled Astrid. "Shut up."

"Just trying to be positive."

"Try being quiet."

"Don't make me get ugly, Astrid."

"That ship sailed long ago."

"Enough of the fighting!" Hiccup repeated. "Ruff and Tuff that includes you! Everyone, work these vines – try to undo the knots."

"Um Hiccup." said Fishlegs. "Just a minor thought – these vines are probably enchanted? It's probably impossible to undo them."

"And?"

"Just saying."

"Are you finished with the unhelpful input?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Okay." Hiccup fished with his knots. "Everyone untie."

"And what are you going to do in the meantime?" Snoutlout asked, trying to wrench apart his tethers. "Bask in the glory of capture, failure, and defeat?"

"No." Hiccup scanned the jungle. "I'm going to pray for Wendy."

It was an ironic statement; because Wendy was murmuring a prayer to herself.

It was an ironic statement; because Wendy was murmuring a prayer to herself

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