A New World, Complicated

Chapter 38: Bing! Bang! Boom! (Hiccup)

 

        I grunted as my fingers wrapped around the large, metal object, lifting it and moving it right into place.

"There. That should do it." I peered around the other side of my latest invention, looking over at my sleeping Night Fury. "So, what do you think, bud?" He perked his head up from his nap, tilting his head to indicate he didn't quite understand. "Ah, reserving your opinion until you see it work," I teased. "I'm good with that."

"Hiccup! Are you up there?" I heard the roar of a Thunderdrum before my dad emerged from below the cliffside. He hopped off his dragon, landing with a sort of dramatic flair. "Thornado and I were busy surveying the village, and—" His eyes rested on my invention, causing him to stop short. "What in the name of Thor is that contraption?"

"I call it the Thunder Ear! It can track dragon sounds from miles away, and that, hopefully, includes our friend, the Screaming Death." He peered down the smaller end of the horn. "You're just in time to see me demonstrate."

"All right. Demonstrate away."

"Okay, now put your ear up to his." I gestured to the smaller end my dad had been peering through. "Toothless, plasma blast." He shot out a purple blast of energy, signaling to Fishlegs and Meatlug out at sea to make noise. My dad's expression remained stagnant for a moment, then suddenly, his face flashed with surprise before his brow furrowed.

"All right, Fishlegs. You and Meatlug come out from wherever you're hiding. Very funny, son. Joke's on the chief." I reached into Toothless' saddle bag, pulling out my spyglass and then handing it to him.

"Dad, it's not a joke. Look." He peered out over the horizon, right in the direction I'd sent Fishlegs and Meatlug earlier. He made a face, as though he didn't want to believe it at first, but quickly turned to acceptance.

"I think we could use this to hear enemy ships approaching as well. That Thunder Ear gets the chief's seal of appro—" My dad pressed his ear against the Thunder Ear again, appearing confused. "Hold on a second." He grabbed the Thunder Ear and whipped it around, facing it toward the village. "Right hook man, eh?" I raised an eyebrow, confused and unaware as to what my dad was referencing. He turned my invention around again, this time in the complete opposite direction. "You can signal Fishlegs and Meatlug to stop. I don't know who's a worse singer, the boy or the dragon."

I could vaguely hear something that sounded like screaming coming from the other end of the Thunder Ear. For a moment, my heart jumped, thinking it could be the Screaming Death.

"Uh... that's not Fishlegs." I leaned down and listened closely to the roaring and screaming. Thankfully, the sounds didn't match that of the Screaming Death. "No, definitely not Fishlegs."

"If it's not Fishlegs, then who, or what, is it?"

"Only one way to find out." I made my way over to Toothless and hopped on.

"My thoughts exactly." My dad whistled to call Thornado, who emerged from the cliff side. "Ah, would you look at that. I never get tired of seeing that magnificent beast make his entrance." My dad followed me toward where I thought the source of the noise was.

"I thought it was coming from out here." A few seconds later, Thornado suddenly took a nose dive down

"Whoa! Thornado, I'll do the steering, if you don't mind."

"No, Dad, let him go. I-I think he hears something." Sure enough, we rounded around the side of some sea stacks under the guidance of Thornado's judgement, and spotted three small dragons bouncing around.