The Lost Boy V - Short stories

Inferiority complex

(set at the end of Book 3)

Snotlout always had an inferiority complex. Blame his short stature orhis father being too exigent, still it nagged him his whole life. Spitelout's dreams of greatness and the way he was always comparing his son to the scrawny Hiccup had led the viking to dream of taking over Berk's throne. But Hiccup had grown up and – slightly – got larger and proved he was a great heir, then a great chief.

Failing to seduce Astrid. Becoming the shorter one of the whole gang. Training the scariest dragon, a Monstruous Nightmare, only to find out it was so agressive because it was scared. Seeing Berk's throne taken from him before he could have it. The arrival of Eret, son of Eret, who had greater and stronger muscles than him. Loosing Ruffnut to Fishlegs... Snotlout felt like he had failed everywhere and in every possible way.

Of course, it didn't help with his complex. He could quiet it down with his friends, but it was still nagging him in a corner of his mind.

Until the day they had won against Kosmozis and the Slaughterhouse. While the Hairy Hooligans were celebrating with their allies, in the middle of the commotion made by the banquet, while tons of talking and chatting were echoing along with dragons chirping and cooing all around... he saw her.

He didn't have felt this insistant look upon him before seeing her until then. Before that, he had been focused on eating this fat yak leg full of juice and sauce, splashing some on his face. Him, the failed glory of the Jorgensons, the viking called ''little man'' when he was not supposed to hear and who had manners as delicate as a pig bathing in the mud, was being watched with a smile. And not a scorning smile.

He swallowed hard and took a glance over his shoulder, only to realise it was really him this young woman was staring at. Her piercing eyes made him sweat, but it was not displeasant.

She had mid-long wavy hair cascading on her shoulders, as black as raven feathers. He thought her slighty hooked nose was cute. She didn't seem tall but she had bulky arms and strong shoulders. Her clothes, half iron armor and black leather, and her blue tattoos in the shape of claws marks, Berserker fashion, was kind of exotic and suited her. Looking her closely, Snotlout thought she was the bad girl type.

Her chin resting on her free hand, she outstretched her pint to him, as if giving him cheers. Snotlout felt like his inner self melted away, only leaving an empty shell behind. She was looking at him. She was smilling at him. She was inviting him. Him. He wanted to impress her.

Without any thought, he collected himself, his plate and pint, and got up. He gathered all his courage and puffed out his chest while walking to her table, the closer he got the more he sweated as the piercing eyes never left him. He felt his nerves and courage slowly fade away at each step. When he finally found himself next to her, and met curious glances from the other Berserkers at the table, he felt pretty tiny.

He tried his best not to shake like a scared child, still the idea of running away was tempting. His sweat was getting noticeable while he was inwardly panicking, wondering what to say.

''Hey handsome.'' The Berserker girl said.

It felt like a slap in the face for Snotlout, but not in a bad way, more in the refreshing way, like a punch to get back his panache. The will to impress her came back as soon as she wiggled her dark eyebrows to him.

He wanted to smile, but a noise stopped him. The chair just left to the Berserker raven beauty swayed, almost sending the viking on him to topple on the ground. The girl had just kicked it with her foot.

''Get off, Bagar.'' She growled. ''Make some room.''

The Berserker, Bagar, heaved a sigh but still got up without protesting. He skirted the table and sat on the bench, next to another Berserker man who was visibly trying not to laugh at him.

Snotlout dismissed it and turned back to the gorgeous black haired girl, who was smiling at him. Her smile was so asymetrical that her left cheek was distorted while the other looked normal. He could peer at her teeth, a bit too large, then he noted there was a gap between her front teeth. He had always liked this detail with the girls. The raven haired nodded to the newly-empty chair and he didn't wasted time to sit down.

''To glory and battle !'' A viking in front of him cheered, his face variegated with blue and grey war paint.

''To the greatest fight we had in months !'' The gorgeous girl retorted, bumping her pint against Snotlout's.

It was so harsh he almost spill his mead, and that made him smile. He was impressed by this warrior's strength and the fact she was fond of fighting. He got even more impressed by her downing her full pint in one row. Once it was empty, she slammed it on the table and nearly stabed a steak on her plate with her fork before cutting it with her bare teeth. Snotlout stared at her in awe and fascination. She didn't even swallowed her meat before talking to him.

''The name Vikka, what's yours cutie ?''

He almost choked on his mead but quickly pulled himself together. He puffed out his chest with proud and pointed at himself with his thumb.

''The one and only Snotlout Jorgenson, one of the best dragon riders of the Hairy Hooligans clan.''

''Ooooh....'' The three vikings around them snickered.

Snotlout noticed they were all Berserkers and, oddly, they all had wavy, raven black hair, like Vikka. They looked a lot alike, to the extend Snotlout wondered if the fourth were siblings.

''A dragon rider, huh ?'' The taller one asked.

He had a fresh stitched cut on the eyebrow, surely curtesy of the previous battle.

''What kind of dragon do you ride ?'' He asked.

''A Monstruous Nightmare.''

''Berserkers praise the Skrill, it's our clan's blason after all, and the most temperamental dragon ever.''

''If you think so,'' Snotlout bragged ''wait to see my Hookfang.''

The guy just next to the taller, who seemed to be the eldest, snorted and threw a handful of potatoes on his mouth, talking mouth full.

''Not impressed. Heard the Deadly Nadders were even more unpredictable.''

''The day you can tame something else than a baby Terrible Terror, Draggar, we'll talk about this.'' Vikka laughed.

Said Draggar spat his potatoes, his face a deep red, which made everyone at the table giggle.

Snotlout would have laugh too if he had not been hypnotized by Vikka's laugh. She had thrown her head back and was laughing pretty loud, from all her heart, and was making ridiculous pig noises through her nose and the depth of her throat. Snotlout swore he had never heard a laugh that unique and funny. He dropped the piece of bread he had intended to eat and gaped at her. With this laugh and her rough manners, he had no doubts he had just found the woman of his life.

The stinging retort she had made had created a teasing conversation on the other side of the table, but neither Snotlout nore her participated. Indeed, she turned back to Snotlout and, under the table, but a hand on his thigh. Looking intently in his captivated eyes, smiling almost cunningly, she adressed him in a whisper.

''Tell me more about you, handsome.''

''Only if you tell me about you, gorgeous.''

Her satisfied smirk and her grip tightening on his thigh gave him confirmation of his previous thought. It was most likely that, during the following months, Hookfang and his rider were going to travel an awful lot between New Berk and the Berserker Island...