A New World, Complicated

Chapter 32: The Flight Stuff (Hiccup)

"Hey."

I turned my head to see Reign and Shriek standing in the entrance, smiling at us.

"You wanna go down to the cove?"

I smiled too and got back onto Toothless, following the redhead and her Thunderdrum.

"I'm gonna kick the bucket!"

Annoyed with Snotlout's dramatics, I turned my attention away from the map we'd been studying and glared at him.

"Snotlout, do you mind? We're having a Dagur meeting."

"Dagur's here?" Reign peered around me to stare down Tuffnut.

"Do you think I'd be this calm if my brother were here?" she grunted.

"In the last week, I've seen three of the Five Signposts of Valhalla."

"We know!" everyone exclaimed, staring at him angrily before attempting to get back to studying the map of Outcast Island again. Reign had marked it with suspicious points while she went out on patrol last week.

"You know? And you're just standing there, talking about stupid Dagur?" Snotlout turned away from us and began to speak with passion. "One of your bravest and most treasured warriors is about to leave this world forever!"

"Look on the bright side: at least you'll be in eternal paradise."

"So will we," Astrid quipped.

"Joke all you want about me. But what about Hookfang?" The large Monstrous Nightmare curled up to nap, bringing his tail around to cover his eyes. "The thought of him without me for the rest of his life... it's just..." Snotlout sniffled and turned away from the rest of us, walking with slouched posture.

"Are you done?" I sighed, trying to get us to focus again.

"No. Not even close. Though devastated, and still in pre-mourning, Gustav has volunteered to carry on the Snotlout legacy." From behind one of our other boards, Snotlout yanked Gustav into view.

"It's an honor."

"Please tell me he's not gonna fly around saying 'oy, oy, oy'," Reign groaned, crossing her arms.

"That's a good idea." Snotlout patted the little kid's helmet. "Gustav, make a note of that."

"Snotlout, the Five Signposts of Valhalla is nothing but an old wives' tale," I pointed out.

"Then why have I seen the Flying Fish, the Weeping Rock, and the Signing Trees?" Snotlout held up four fingers, causing Gustav to jump up and put one of them back down, correcting him.

"You probably saw a Salmon spawning, wet rocks on the beach, and a gust of wind," Fishlegs pointed out.

"Besides, the Five Signposts of Valhalla are only supposed to happen to great warriors," Reign added.

"Obviously. What's your point?"

"Even if it were true, which it is not, you can't just pick someone to replace you," I told him in a stern tone.

"Well, you guys threw out my original plan!"

"To bury Hookfang alive beside you?" Astrid scoffed.

"He would gladly sacrifice himself for his beloved master. Trust me." The moment Snotlout touched him, Hookfang shot up and ran away, knocking the Viking into the air and sending him skidding right to my feet. I shook my head and tried to think of a way to approach this that would end the conversation.