HTLANF AU: How to Raise Your Night Furies

Part 4 ~ Chapter 21

Stoick chuckled and wrapped his arm around his granddaughter's waist to keep her from falling off his lap. "Aye, maybe so lassie."

Back with the young adults racing one another, Astrid and Stormfly clipped a still smoldering Snotlout. Astrid glared at Snotlout as Stormfly flew beside Hookfang.

"What are you doing, Snotlout?! They're going to win now!" She complained.

"She's my princess! Whatever she wants, she gets!" Snotlout said defensively.

"Ruffnut?! Didn't she try to bury you alive?!" Astrid asked, flabbergasted.

"Only for a few hours!" Snotlout said offhandedly.

The other dragons used to be a bit of a problem here. But that was five years ago. Now, they've all moved in. And, really, why wouldn't they?

The racers chased one another through a sprawling hangar and into a vast cave, teeming with colorfully painted dragon stables, but one racer was missing from the group. Snotlout took notice of this as they exited through the far side and started to circle back through the village.

"Any of you seen Toothless?!" He shouted as they all sped past many of the dragon-friendly additions to the village.

Astrid smirked knowingly to herself, knowing exactly where her nephew was hiding. But she kept her mouth shut.

"Not since he last scored!" Tuffnut answered, the others nodding in agreement.

Snotlout groaned in annoyance. "Great. Knowing him, he'll swoop in for the win last minute, like always." The Jorgenson complained.

We have custom stables...all-you-can-eat feeding stations...a full-service dragon wash... Even top-of-the-line fire prevention, if I do say so myself.

Below the racers in the village, a baby Gronckle sneezed and accidentally set one of the huts ablaze. Astrid took notice of this and peeled away from the group, yanking open one of the spouts of the overhead aqueducts Hiccup installed throughout the village, dousing the flames with a surge of water.

Stoick, Kala and the other Vikings watch the racers as they lap around the village searching for sheep. The chief then looked towards Gobber and nodded.

"It's time, Gobber." He stated and the blacksmith nodded right back with a smile.

"Righty-ho!" Gobber said cheerily, then he turned to the crowd. "Last lap!" He shouted, then a horn was sounded and all the racers turned to each other excitedly.

"The Black Sheep!" Astrid exclaimed then put her attention back on the race. "Come on, Stormfly! We can still win this thing!"

"Come on, Barf!" Ruffnut shouted, her excitement clear in her words.

"Let's go!" Tuffnut added, just as excited as his sister, a bit of smugness within his words.

"Go, Meatlug!" Fishlegs encouraged as they all sped up to try and get to where the Black Sheep would appear.

Gobber made his way to the catapult and loaded the poor sheep in question onto it.

"Whooo-hooo!" Astrid yelled as joy seeped through her from the speed and exhilaration that came with Dragon Racing.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Tuffnut urged, rather impatiently as he was eager to get the win under his and his twin's belt for once.

"This is your moment." Gobber said to the sheep as he was preparing to launch it. "Have a nice flight!" He exclaimed as he pulled the lever, launching the poor sheep into the air.

Astrid spots the Black Sheep and steers Stormfly into a steep climb toward it. "Up, up, up!"

In a flash, the sheep was snatched up by Fishlegs and Meatlug.