𝐊𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐒𝐈 ━ how to train your dragon²

15│TIES THAT BIND

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❛ ᴋʜᴀʟᴇᴇsɪ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚  ▎❛ 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛɪᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʙɪɴᴅ ꒱


❝ YOU KNOW. . . MAYBE THE
TARGARYENS HAVE SOME
BERSERKER IN THEIR BLOOD ❞

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"How are we supposed to see up here?" Ruffnut whined.

The clouds lay thickly all around them, gray and heavy with the promise of rain. The twins flew on their Zippleback between Hiccup and Dany, though their cooperation could use some work. The quartet (including the Zippleback's two heads) bickered more than any of the riders combined, so they were trying to get them to practice their teamwork. "You're not. That's the whole point," the brunet told them for the umpteenth time.

"Oh. No, I still don't get it."

Dany sighed at how obtuse they were being. "You won't always be able to see," she explained. "You're going to have to trust Barf and Belch to guide you since their eyesight will almost always be better than yours."

"Like this!" Hiccup added, guiding Toothless so that he veered into some of the denser fog on a sharp angle.

"Why do they always have to speak in riddles?"

She had told Hiccup that this could only ever end in disaster, but he had been adamant that the twins should learn some kind of cooperation, even if it was their own style. But, true to form, they reacted as they always had: when one said up, the other said down.

"I say we trust us," Ruffnut declared.

"Yeah, I'm with you, sister."

"Barf, up!"

"Belch, down!"

Their dragon tried to follow their orders, but when one head went in the opposite direction of the other, they were sent spinning through the gray mist. Unfortunately for Fishlegs, this meant that an uncontrollable dragon was heading right his way. His eyes widened but they were going too fast to be avoided; their collision sent all three of them flailing through the air to land on the branches of a tree below.

It cracked under their wait and, once again, the siblings gave opposing directions:

"Belch, get me down!"

"Barf, go for help!"

The Zippleback flapped uncontrollably in the air as he tried to pick a direction to fly n, eventually whirling off and out of sight. Fishlegs whistled for Meatlug, who looked down at him at the noise. He did a series of hand gestures pointing to the twins. The Gronckle hovered over to them so the brother and sister could grab onto each of her legs as she flew them to safety— just in time, too, as the branch finally gave way.

"It worked! I can't believe it actually worked!" the blond exclaimed. He could only celebrate for a second, though, since his branch was about to have a similar fate.

Luckily, he'd stayed up there long enough that Dany and Drogon could swoop underneath him to catch the larger Viking. Fishlegs had become much more comfortable with Drogon over the past several months, though he would probably never be fully trusting around a dragon of his size. (The sharp teeth were a little off-putting.) Still, he was able to ride on Dany's dragon's back without too much fear, which was a huge improvement.

"Thanks, Dany," he said with relief.

"Anytime," was her cheerful response. As they made their way back towards Hiccup, she added, "hey, what was that hand thing you were doing?"