A/n: Hi, before starting, I'd like to say something about Blake's love interest, yes he'll have a love interest and I already know who will be, even though I'm pretty sure that most of you already know who will be, I won't say it because if someone doesn't have any idea of who will be, I would be spoiling, and that's something that I don't like or want to do
Now, let's start with the chapter
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One morning on Berk, Snotlout and Hookfang were having a flight around the island, but Hookfang didn't look so good
"Come on, Hookfang. Is that all you got? If I wanted a slow dragon, I's take Meatlug from Fishlegs" Snotlout said
Then they flew near-by a beach where the other teens with their dragons were waiting
"What is with him?" Hiccup asked
"I heard that ever since Alvin and the Whispering Deaths attacked, he's been training nonstop" Astrid said
"I heard he's been flying all night for the past week" Fishlegs said
"Well, I heard Gothi can debone a yak just by looking at it" Tuffnut said
"I heard if you sit on a Terrible Terror, you can make flames come out of your-" Ruffnut began but she got interrupted by Blake
"Hold on, what does that even have to do with Snotlout?" he said making the twins look at each other
"Oh, I thought we were playing the 'I heard game' by the way, the Terrible Terror thing... totally true, I've tried" Tuffnut said before Snotlout and Hookfang landed
"That's right, you saw what you just saw" Snotlout said before flexing and kissing his arms
"Snotlout, Hookfang looks pretty tired" Hiccup said and he was right, said dragon was on the ground breathing heavily "I think you might be pushing him too hard"
"You say 'pushing', I say 'challenging' he doesn't need rest, he's a warrior and we warriors live for the thrill of battle" Snotlout said proudly
"Snotlout, even the greatest warrior of all times needs rest once in a while, I learned it the hard way" Blake said rubbing the back of his head
"Oh, really?" Snotlout asked crossing his arms
"Yeah, the day after I turned twelve, Alvin said that in two weeks I'd be fighting against my first dragon, as a result I trained day and night"
"What does that have to do with me?" Snotlout asked
"Just listen, I pushed myself too far to the point that I only slept one or two hours a day, and the first thing that I did after waking up was training... again" Blake said
"And?" Snotlout asked not looking interested
"And, when the moment came, the dragon defeated me with just a slam of its tail" Blake said "I pushed myself too far and paid the consequences, and if you push Hookfang too far he'll pay the consequences and whatever happen, will be your fault"
"I don't believe you" Snotlout said "It's like my dad always says"
"Take a bath, Snotlout?" Astrid asked
"Rip your tongue out, Snotlout?" Ruffnut asked
"Stich your head up a yak's-" Tuffnut began
"No, no, none of those, he says 'rest is for the weak'" Snotlout interrupted making everyone look at him in silence
"And let's thank Snotlout for that inspirational speech" Hiccup said sarcastically
"You're welcome, now let's get on with this exercise, unless you guys are too tired" Snotlout said before flying "Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!"
"We haven't even started and I already can tell that this won't end well" Blake said
Moments later they were all at the sky ready to start the exercise
"Okay guys, Alvin wants Berk for himself, and now he has dragons, if he can train them to fight, we'll have to battle dragon-riding Outcast soldiers up here" Hiccup explained
"Up where?" Tuffnut asked
"Here in the sky... on your dragon" Hiccup said
"Well, I say: bring it on, Alvin" Snotlout said
"Astrid, for this training exercise you and Stormfly will act as our bad dragon" Hiccup said
"Stormfly, battle ready!" Astrid ordered making her dragon fly up
"The rest of you, make sure you don't get caught, she touches you, you're out" Hiccup said before he and the rest of the teens flew away from Astrid
Fishlegs and Meatlug were at the forest flying near to the ground avoiding the trees
"Now, that is how a highly maneuverable boulder class dragon does it, good girl" Fishlegs said but then some Nadder spikes landed in front of them
Fishlegs looked up and saw that Astrid and Stormfly were flying above them "Yeah, looked great from up here" Astrid said before patting Fishlegs on the back "You're both out"
"Don't let her get you down, Meatlug. You still have the biggest hand around here" Fishlegs said
In other part of the forest the twins were looking at Astrid and Stormfly from a hiding spot, but it wasn't a good one, in fact Barf and Belch's body was visible
"I told you this would work" Tuffnut said
"Yeah, she's standing right at us and she doesn't even know we're here" Ruffnut said even though Astrid already knew that they were there so she walked towards them and slapped Barf and Belch's necks
"Out and out" Astrid said
"Who's she talking to?" Tuffnut asked
"It can't be us" Ruffnut said as Astrid flew away
The next ones to be found were Hiccup and Toothless
"You might want to give up now!" Astrid said as she chased after them
"Wow, you sound just like Alvin" Hiccup said before noticing a cave in the distance "Come on, bud. Let's see how she does it when the lights are out"
"Hiccup, you're so predictable" Astrid said as she followed Hiccup into the cave
Once they were all in, Toothless started to roar looking for an exit, then Hiccup turned around and saw that Stormfly was using her fire as a torch
"Astrid, so predictable" Hiccup said
Astrid continued to follow Hiccup and Toothless through the cave, but what she didn't know is that Toothless used his wings to disguise himself and Hiccup in the dark,
"She's not going to be pleased with this, is she?" Hiccup asked when Astrid was away
Meanwhile, Astrid was outside of the cave and groaned annoyed when she found out that Hiccup was able to trick her but then she saw Blake and Thunder not too far away from her
It didn't take long for Blake to realize that Astrid was following him "Let's show them what we can do, Thunder" he said
Thunder nodded and started to fly up followed by Stormfly, then he stopped for a moment to shot a lightning blast at Stormfly which she barely dodged, but it stunned her
When Stormfly got control over her flight, Astrid realized that Blake and Thunder were nowhere in sight
"Hey! Astrid!" a voice said in the distance so Astrid looked where the voice came and saw Blake and Thunder "Maybe next time!" Blake said before Thunder flew into the clouds
Astrid groaned even more annoyed for not being able to catch two of the teens in a row but then she noticed that Snotlout and Hookfang were flying below her, so she went to get them
"Okay, Hookfang. Let's show them who's the true king of skies, flame!" Snotlout ordered when he saw Astrid but when Hookfang tried to ignite himself up, he failed "Uh... Hookfang, I said 'flame'"
"And out" Astrid said when she slammed Snotlout's helmet
"Come on, stop being stubborn!" Snotlout told Hookfang "Flame up, flame up!"
Hookfang tried to obey Snotlout's order but he failed every time
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Moments later, the teens reunited at the beach where they were earlier to discuss what happened with Hookfang
"What? What's the matter with everyone? Never seen a suborn dragon?" Snotlout asked
"That didn't look like stubbornness to me" Blake said
"Snotlout, there's something wrong with Hookfang, he couldn't flame up" Hiccup said
"No, Hookfang didn't want to flame up" Snotlout said "There's a difference, he's bored with your dumb exercise and he can flame up whenever he wants"
"Okay, how about now?" Tuffnut asked
"Nah, he doesn't feel like it now" Snotlout said
"Snotlout, we really need to check on Hookfang" Hiccup said
"He could be in danger" Blake said
"Fine, be my guest, but there's nothing wrong with my dragon" Snotlout said
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Later that day, Hiccup was checking Hookfang's symptoms in the academy
"No fire, check" Hiccup said "Pale coloration, check. Faking scales, check"
"See? He's fine... checks are good, right?" Snotlout asked
"Totally" Tuffnut said
"I don't think that those checks are good" Blake said
"You're right" Fishlegs said "Any one of those symptoms would not be good... but together really not good"
"Fishlegs, is there anything in the Book of Dragons about this?" Hiccup asked
"According to the Book of Dragons, a Monstrous Nightmare can lose its ability to generate flame" Fishlegs explained
"But why?" Astrid asked
"Lots of reasons, old age, injury, exhaustion" Fishlegs said counting with his fingers
"Pushed too hard by his stubborn rider" Astrid added
"I heard that" Snotlout said "I always work with him this hard, so he's a little out of flame, what's the cure?"
"That's the thing with Stoker class dragons, once they lose their flaming ability, they become defenseless and..." Fishlegs hesitated
"Wait, don't tell me that he could..." Blake said with an idea of what could happen to Hookfang
Fishlegs nodded confirming Blake's fear so he looked at Snotlout "I tried to warn you, Snotlout. But you listened? No, and now your dragon is paying the consequences" Blake said
"But what could happen to Hookfang?" Snotlout asked
"Well... he could die" Blake said making Snotlout look at his dragon in shock and horror
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Later that night, Snotlout was in his house feeding Hookfang
"Don't listen to those guys, they don't know what they're talking about, you're Hookfang" Snotlout said placing a blow of water in front of his dragon "You're a warrior, indestructible, like me, right?"
Suddenly, Spitelout slammed the door open "Snotlout!" he yelled as he entered
"Oh, hey, dad. Didn't expect you home so soon" Snotlout said
"Have you seen my spare bludgeon?" Spitelout asked
"Uh, no, I haven't" Snotlout said
"I could've sworn I left it here" Spitelout said walking towards a chest before tossing weapons out of it
"You want to borrow mine?" Snotlout asked pointing at his bludgeon that has hanging on the wall
"Yeah" Spitelout said walking towards it "We're having a contes to wee whose skull is strongest"
"Sounds fun" Snotlout said
Then, Spitelout noticed Hookfang and realized that he was weaken
"Troubles with the lizard, son?" Spitelout asked
"What? Him? He's just resting" Snotlout said nervously
"You know what I say about rest?" Spitelout asked
"Rest is for the weak" Spitelout and Snotlout said at the same time
"It's just a break, you know. From annihilating stuff all day, isn't that right, Hookfang" Snotlout said before Hookfang groaned weakly making his raider even more nervous "He's roaring on the inside"
Spitelout didn't look convinced and seconds later, the teens passed by on their dragons, so Spitelout looked back at his son and took a sword from a barrel
"You know, boy. As Viking warriors, if our swords are not cutting properly, we sharp them, but if the swords cannot be sharpened any longer" Spitelout said before slamming the sword on his knee breaking it apart "We get a new sword"
Then, he placed the sword back in the barrel and walked out of the house "Thanks for the bludgeon"
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The next day, Snotlout took Hookfang to the academy to see if the rest of the teens could help him
"Don't worry, Snotlout" Hiccup said
"We're going to help Hookfang" Blake said
"I'm not worried" Snotlout said trying to act tough but he couldn't hide his worried expression when he saw Hookfang
"Whoa, are you crying?" Tuffnut asked
"Crying?!" Snotlout said before punching Tuffnut "That's ridiculous, there's dust in my eyes, you can't see how dusty is here... guys?"
"Snotlout, there is nothing wrong in being upset, it just means you care" Astrid said placing a hand on Snotlout's shoulder
"Besides, bottling up your feelings won't be good for you" Blake said making Snotlout back away
"Alright, let's pretend for a moment that I... well... care, how would I know? I mean, how would you now?" Snotlout asked
"Well, you might feel a tightness in your chest, you might get a little shaky, and your eyes might get watery" Astrid said
Snotlout didn't say anything for a moment before realizing that the twins were smiling as they looked at him "Yeah, I'm going to go with dust... for now" Snotlout said
"Hiccup, here's something from the Bork papers regarding a Stocker class dragons' flame" Fishlegs said placing the papers on the ground revealing an image of a Monstrous Nightmare surrounded by Fireworms
"Fireworm dragons" Hiccup said
"Or as Bork referred to them, 'the flame eaters'" Fishlegs said
"Flame eaters?" Tuffnut asked "We should be called blame eaters"
"Cool!" Ruffnut yelled punching Tuffnut's back
"Fireworms are Stocker class dragons too, there must be something in them that can help reignite a Monstrous Nightmare" Hiccup said "Okay, Astrid, Blake, the twins and I will round as many Fireworms as we can, Fishlegs. Keep reading"
"What about me?" Snotlout asked
"You stay with you dragon, he needs you" Hiccup said
"It's part of caring" Astrid said
"Don't try to hide it" Blake said
Snotlout nodded before kneeling next to Hookfang and hug him
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Moments later, Hiccup, Astrid, Blake and the twins returned with all of the Fireworms that they could find, they placed them around Hookfang but nothing seemed to happen
"Nothing" Hiccup said before looking at Snotlout "Well, that might not have worked but-"
"Maybe, he can drink this" Tuffnut said holding a bowl
"Uh... what is that supposed to be?" Blake asked
"Fireworm milk" Ruffnut said
"Fireworm milk?" Astrid repeated confused
"Um, Tuffnut, I don't think you can actually milk a Fireworm" Fishlegs said
"Oh, great. Thanks. Where were you three hours ago?" Tuffnut asked showing his bandaged hand
"Maybe we need to put the Fireworms on Hookfang, so he can absorb their heat directly" Hiccup suggested
"Yeah! Good idea, Hiccup!" Snotlout said grabbing Hiccup by the shoulders "Well, what are you waiting for?!"
Then, all of the teens started to use pincers to place the Fireworms on top of Hookfang, suddenly a small flame started to appear on his head
"It's working" Snotlout said, but the flame lit out "We need more Fireworms, now!"
Snotlout started to run around the academy looking for any Fireworms "You hear me?! More Fireworms!"
"Snotlout, I think we've rounded all of the Fireworms on Berk" Astrid said
Snotlout looked like he was about to cry but then Hiccup noticed that the twins were paying with some Fireworms
"Come on, you said you wanted to be a flame eater" Ruffnut said trying to make her brother eat a Fireworm
"I did, didn't I?" Tuffnut said as he tried to do the same
"Uh, Hiccup, do you really think now is a good time to be focusing on the twins?" Astrid asked
"It's actually the perfect time, they just gave me an idea" Hiccup said
"Hang on, are you serious?!" Blake asked "Please tell me that you're not"
"I'm serious" Hiccup said as he walked towards the twins "I don't say this often, but you two are geniuses"
"Like we don't know that" Tuffnut said
Moments later, Hiccup was holding a spear with a lantern and filled it with Fireworms
"What are you doing, Hiccup?! Shouldn't you be figuring out how to safe my dragon?!" Snotlout asked
"I am" Hiccup said as he walked towards a group of Fireworms "As Ruff and Tuff astutely discovered, Fireworms get brighter the closer they are to one another"
Then Hiccup placed the lantern need the Fireworms and they all started to glow
"Wow, that's pretty cool" Astrid said
"Whoa, we discovered that?" Ruffnut said
"I can't believe it" Blake said making the twins bang their heads against each other proudly
"So, if I'm right, the closer we get to more Fireworms, then..." Hiccup stopped and looked at the twins "Come on, come on, Tuff. Lead us home"
The twins looked at each other confused until Tuffnut seemed to have an idea "We'll all burst into flames!" he said before he and Ruffnut banged their heads against each other again
"No, actually. The closer we get, the brighter the Fireworms will glow, inside this" Hiccup said showing the lantern
"Much less fun that bursting into flames" Tuffnut complied
"Wait a minute, I thought you said there were no more Fireworms on Berk" Snotlout said
"There aren't on this island, but there are plenty on Fireworm Island" Fishlegs said showing a drawing of the island
"Fireworm Island?" Snotlout asked
"There's where those little guys are going to lead us" Fishlegs said
Then Snotlout walked towards Hookfang and started to help him to get up "Come on, Hookfang. You got to dig deep, I know you're got some fighting left in you, come on, Hookfang"
Hookfang didn't seem to have the strength to get up, but slowly he was able to do it "Yes, that's it! Yes, Hookfang! Yes!" Snotlout cheered as Hookfang roared
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That night, the teens were looking for Fireworm Island with the help of some Fireworms inside of a lantern
"Bank right, bud. It's brighter this way" Hiccup said
He and Toothless were leading the group, so the rest of the teens followed him but Hookfang was starting to lose altitude
"Hang in there, Hookfang. We'll find more Fireworms I promise" Snotlout said
"Snotlout, I don't think that Hookfang can hold on any longer" Blake said "We might have to get back"
"No!" Snotlout refused "We have to keep going!"
"Blake's right" Hiccup said "He's losing too much altitude, it's not safe"
"Come on, boy. Keep flying" Snotlout said, but Hookfang was slowly flying even lower that before so the other teens went to help him
Snotlout hesitated for a moment and realized that Hiccup and Blake were right, Hookfang was in a really bad condition and it wasn't safe for him, so they all started to fly back, but then Hiccup's lantern began to glow
"Guys look!" Fishlegs said pointing at an island in the distance
"I see it" Hiccup said as they al flew towards the island "That's got to be it, Fireworm Island" as they approached, Hiccup saw a cave on the island "They must be inside"
Once they landed, Hookfang collapsed on the ground, so Snotlout got off him and started to pet him
"Snotlout, I think you need to stay here with Hookfang, Astrid and I will bring the Fireworms back" Hiccup said
"No!" Snotlout refused standing up "It's my fault, Hiccup. I did this to Hookfang" then Snotlout started to run into the cave "I'm going to safe him!"
"Hiccup, we'll stay behind with Hookfang" Astrid said
"Hold on, I'm going too" Blake said "You're going to need all the help that you can"
Hiccup nodded before dropping his lantern, allowing the Fireworms to escape and run into the cave
"Come on" Hiccup said, so Snotlout and Blake got on Toothless' back and run into the cave
Once they were in, they started to follow a Fireworm until they arrived at a cavern with glowing combs all over it, almost like a beehive
"What is this?" Snotlout said amazed
"I think it's a nest" Hiccup said
"It's more like a hive" Blake said as Hiccup realized that the Fireworms were the ones making the combs
"Flame eaters... that's what Bork meant and this explains those hexagons on the picture" Hiccup said
"What are you talking about?" Blake asked
"Those firecombs are filled with gel, eating gives Fireworms their heat" Hiccup explained
"We've better not tell the twins about this" Blake muttered as Snotlout started to walk towards some firecombs
"We have to be careful to not disturb this place, make sure you don't touch a-" Hiccup started but then he and Blake realized that Snotlout was pulling a firecomb
"Snotlout! No!" Hiccup and Blake yelled
"This is going to safe Hookfang" Snotlout said before pulling the firecomb free "I got it!" suddenly, they heard a roar "What was that?"
Then a giant Fireworm entered the cave, besides its big size, the Fireworm had some spikes in its head making it look like a crown
"I think that we found the queen of the hive" Blake said
"Or she found us" Hiccup said
"Snotlout, you should put that back" Blake said noticing how the Fireworm Queen was glaring at Snotlout
"No! this is the only way to save Hookfang and I'm not giving it up!" Snotlout said before running towards the entrance but the Fireworm Queen started to chase after him
"Come on, guys" Hiccup said "That queen is not happy"
The Fireworm Queen chased Snotlout through the cave, until Toothless was able to reach him just before the Fireworm Queen bit him, however, this made her flew after them, but then Snotlout looked behind and realized that the Fireworm Queen was nowhere in sight
"Wait, where did she go?" Snotlout asked before looking at Hiccup "I think we lost her"
"I don't think so, we're in her territory, she knows this cave better than any of us!" Blake said "She could come out of anywhere!"
"There's no time to worry about that now, she's out of our way and the exit is up ahead!" Hiccup said, but then the Fireworm Queen appeared outside of the cave blocking their way out "And she took a shortcut"
"Like I said" Blake muttered
Suddenly, a stream of fire almost hit the Fireworm Queen scaring her away, then they saw Astrid and Stormfly chasing after the queen
"Astrid! Stormfly!" Hiccup said as they exited the cave
"We'll handle the queen, you get to Hookfang" Astrid said
Toothless flew as fast as he could and quickly arrived where Hookfang was, once he landed, Snotlout ran towards his dragon
"I got it, Hookfang! I got it!" Snotlout said placing the firecomb in front of Hookfang "You need to eat this right away!"
Even though it was his chance to safe himself, Hookfang refused to eat the firecomb
"What are you waiting for, Hookfang?! Eat it!" Snotlout said
Suddenly they hear a roar and looked that the Fireworm Queen was heading towards them, so Snotlout placed himself between her and Hookfang
"If you want to get to my dragon, you'll have to go through me!" Snotlout said but Hookfang picked up the firecomb with his mouth and tossed it away "No! What are you doing?! You have to eat that!"
"Snotlout, he's protecting you. He's doing for you what you're willing to do for him" Hiccup said
The Fireworm Queen picked the firecomb and roared before picking up Hookfang by the neck with her tail and stabbed him on the chest with her tongue
"Hookfang!" Snotlout yelled running towards the Fireworm Queen but she swatted him away with her wing and placed Hookfang back on the ground
"Hookfang" Snotlout said walking towards his dragon with tears in his eyes, as the other teens only looked at him with sadness
"Oh no" Astrid said
Even after that bite, Hookfang was still alive, but he was weaker than before, so Snotlout placed a hand on his snout
"I'm right here with you, you're not just another sword, Hookfang" Snotlout said but then he felt something "That's weird, it's hot"
Suddenly, Hookfang's scales started to change back into their normal color, then he stood up and ignited himself up "Hookfang! You're back!" Snotlout said both happy and relieved
"Feel his scales, the gel... it's regenerating" Fishlegs said
"How did that happen?" Blake asked "The Fireworm Queen did this?"
"Her venom must have started it up again, she saved him" Hiccup said
Then Hookfang and the Fireworm Queen roared at each other before she flew back into the cave
"Hey, looks like you got some dust in your eyes" Astrid said walking towards Snotlout
"Yeah, I did" Snotlout chuckled "Stupid dust"
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The next day, the teens were at a sea stack waiting for Snotlout and Hookfang... again
"Where is he?" Astrid asked
"Why are we always waiting for him?" Fishlegs asked
"Personally, it doesn't bother me this time, it just means that things are going back to normal" Blake said just before Snotlout and Hookfang landed on the sea stack
"Okay, good. We're all here, Snotlout, you and Hookfang are the evil dragon this time" Hiccup said
"Actually, I thought we'd sit this one out, maybe go on a nice flight, take the sights" Snotlout said "I just want to make sure he's well rested"
"So, you really learned the lesson, huh?" Blake said
"Guess I did" Snotlout admitted "I just want to take it easy until Hookfang is back to his old self"
Then, Hookfang threw Snotlout into the air and caught him on the back of his neck "Stupid dragon!" Snotlout said as Hookfang flew away
"Well, now that they're gone, Blake. Why don't you and Thunder act as our evil dragon?" Hiccup asked "Just don't take it too seriously"
"I don't make any promises" Blake said before looking at Thunder "How about you, Thunder. do you make any promises?" Thunder only roared at the sky as some electricity went through his body "He doesn't promise anything either"
And with that, they all flew into the sky