The King of Dragons (a httyd fanfiction)

Chapter 8-Control not Contain

A few days into Stoick caging dragons and hiccup taking food for said dragons had already cut hiccup's armada in half and the stocked food by a fourth. At this rate, there wouldn't be any food left for berk and no dragons other than toothless for hiccup to leave with.
Astrid was getting sick of all of it, especially of being the one having to go back and forth between the Haddocks. She needed a way to get them to talk but trying to get them to do it themselves was practically impossible.
"Astrid," Fishlegs called to her, she looked to him and realized her pacing and stopped.
She sighed and looked around the arena, hiccup still wasn't back. And she assumed he was out getting food from their storage houses again.
"What are we going to do Fishlegs?" Astrid asked, "how do we get hiccup and Stoick to talk? Civilly!"
"I don't know," Fishlegs felt targeted, "I was friends with hiccup for so long, and now he's changed so much I don't know how to get him to do anything!"
"I've got it!" Tuffnut yelled out, "we loki him."
"Really? Loki hiccup?" Fishlegs looked at him like he was crazy.
Ruffnut hit her brother on the back of the helmet, "we can't loki someone it's not loki day!"
Astrid sat listening to their bickering and got an idea from it. "By Thor, they actually might be right," she mumbled, everyone looking to her.
"What do you mean they are right?" Snotlout asked as she stood up.
"We need to trick hiccup into getting face to face with Stoick and make them talk," Astrid started to explain the game plan, "I'm going to need all of you to get Stoick to come here. Tell him something like...oh I don't know just something that will make him come and stay. I can get hiccup."
"Do you think this will work?" Fishlegs asked, being quite unsure about all of it.
Astrid went over to stormfly and scratched the underside of her neck before she mounted her. She looked to her friend, "I don't know. But I hope so. It won't hurt to try."
And she left on stormfly to find Hiccup.
~
Hiccup was flying over the south side of Berk looking for the third storehouse he had yet to find. Scanning for anything that looked suspicious, and gave toothless a head pat to get his attention.
"Hey bud, do you see anything down there that's suspicious?" Hiccup asked, and toothless looked down and groaned. Hiccup sighed, and looked around more, "it's ok bud we'll find it."
"Find what?" Astrid asked, stormfly coming up right next to toothless.
Hiccup looked to her, quite startled, "a-Astrid? How did you-when did-never mind," hiccup ignored her question while getting toothless to speed up and dive.
Astrid sighed, and got stormfly to follow, trying to stay as close as possible.
Toothless went into the trees, swerving left and right, up and down around trees and branches. Hiccup looked back for a moment seeing Astrid wasn't anywhere to be seen and he turned back, as they flew into a clearing he planned to go back up. And then stormfly came down with a, slightly unimpressed, Astrid.
Hiccup groaned, "I taught you too much-I'm not going to listen Astrid."
"Oh don't give yourself too much credit. We learned a few things from watching the other deadly nadders," Astrid smiled at her own snark, "like this."
"Like?-"
"Stormfly! Spine shot!"
As stormy's rider gave the command she turned and whipped her tail out. Multiple spines came off of the tail and went flying at hiccup and toothless. Hiccup let out a yelp as they ducked under the spikes as they flew towards them, and into a tree instead of him.
"Oops, sorry. We're working on aim," Astrid chuckled a little.
Hiccup looked to the spines in the tree and sat up, turning back to Astrid, "that is...very impressive. I must say you learn very quickly."
"Lots of practice I guess," Astrid replied, "now why don't we go back to the arena? I can tell you other things I've learned. If you didn't already know it."
Hiccup laughed at that statement and looked at toothless, "why don't we bud? Take a break from the search." Toothless trilled, looking at hiccup and letting his tongue flop out. Hiccup smiled and looked to Astrid, "ok, you can try and tell me something I don't know."
~
They landed in the arena, Stoick there arguing with snotlout while the twins kept them both occupied. Hiccup watched in confusion until he heard the gate to the arena close, and Astrid the one being by the lever. Stormfly stayed at the gate and growled at anyone who came near.
"Alright! Everyone who doesn't have an entire group of animals, Viking or dragon, come over here," Astrid yelled out, as Fishlegs came over. And he was Slowly followed by the twins and eventually snotlout.
Hiccup got off toothless and looked at her then to Stoick, and let out a groaning sigh. He was not about to do this.
Stoick walked closer to all of them, eyeing toothless, before looking to Astrid. "What do you think you are doing Astrid? Let me out this instant," he demanded. But was quickly stopped by the growl and spike standing sound of stormfly.
"Sorry, no can do chief. I'm not going to keep sending messages, while both dragons and food supplies are dwindling," Astrid looked at the Haddocks, "you two are going to discuss it. You know, like leaders and all?"
Hiccup spoke up, "That's absurd I'm not talking to, well, him!"
"Oh yeah, because I'm the crazy one who-who rides a night fury! That has destroyed our village time and time again!" Stoick objected, looking to his son.
"Oh yeah yeah, blame the dragon," hiccup wasn't going to give up, "they only wanted food! And you would fire at them first so they protected themselves!"
"Our food would have been gone if we just let them take what they wanted! They have no place on the isle of Berk!" Stoic yelled right back.
Hiccup was about to walk closer and yell more before toothless stepped closer, and let out a quiet sad trill to get hiccup's attention. He looked back to his dragon, and he walked back to him, petting toothless and letting out a sigh.
Hiccup wasn't going to fight if it wasn't something worth winning if it meant his dragons got hurt. He scratched the underside of toothless' neck, and put an end to the yelling, "If the dragons are kept in captivity and you don't feed them, they will die. I didn't expect to stay longer than a night. I don't even have enough food for toothless, not to mention myself,"
"Well get them away from our food and I don't mind giving you some, son," Stoick answered, not nearly as calm, "but we lost a lot of stock because of you."
"Yeah I know," Hiccup stood up straight and turned towards his father, "I can get you the food back, but I want all of my dragons released. Every single one."
"Fine. But where are they going to go?" Stoic asked.
Hiccup looked to toothless for a moment, "They'll all go back to the edge. They have all the food and proper housing they need. They'll all know where to go."
"The edge?" Fishlegs whispered the question but everything was so quiet everyone could hear it.
"My island," hiccup explained, "I have hundreds of dragons there. From a gronkle to a-" toothless nudged him and tilted his head, "heh, well to a night fury."
"The island of the king," Astrid breathed out, she wanted to see it, but wouldn't say that out loud now. Hiccup looked at her and smiled slightly.
Stoick seemed to glare at Astrid before letting out a sigh, "just make sure the dragons stay away. And you get the food."
Hiccup only nodded in response, and Astrid pulled the lever while stormfly moved out of the way. Stoick walked past, grumbling slightly, but Astrid had a feeling he'd lighten up once the food was replenished.
She turned back to hiccup and watched as he checked the tail on toothless.
"What are you going to do to replenish the food?" Astrid asked, truly intrigued by his idea.
"Oh don't worry about that," hiccup looked over to them, "you'll all be helping. We'll see how you all fair working together, on a small fishing mission."
Astrid crossed her arms with a small smile, while everyone else groaned at the idea of work. of course, he'd involve all of them.