The sun was just beginning to rise over Berk as Nuffink made his way through the village, keeping to the shadows to avoid being seen. He wasn't supposed to be out this early, but he couldn't help himself—he had to see Luna. As he approached Gobber's blacksmith shop, he peered inside and saw her there, already hard at work. It had only been a day and Gobber already had her working.
Luna was learning blacksmithing from Gobber, who seemed to have taken to her like a daughter. She was surprisingly good at it, too, her hands moving skillfully as she hammered a piece of iron into shape. It was almost as if she had done this was taught many times for years and still couldn't quite grasp it. Which was something his father wasn't too happy with, but accepted because he understood everyone can't be good at everything. Gobber stood nearby, giving her pointers and laughing heartily at something she said. It was clear they had grown close in such a short time.
Nuffink watched them for a moment, feeling a pang of something he couldn't quite identify. Was it jealousy? No, more like admiration. Luna was fitting in with the village better than he had expected, and it made him wonder if maybe, just maybe, his father had been wrong about her. She didn't seem evil,she seemed as though she genuinely just cared.
Gobber eventually set down his tools, clapping Luna on the shoulder. "Good work, lass! You're a natural. But I've got a meeting with Hiccup now, so we'll pick this up later. Come to think of it, I'm probably already late." He let out a hearty laugh. Luna laughed as well.
As Gobber left, Nuffink took his chance and slipped inside the shop, surprising Luna. "So, blacksmith in training huh?"
Luna turned, a smile lighting up her face. "Nuffink! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be… I don't know, not sneakin' around?"
He grinned, shrugging off her comment. " Maybe I wanted to help."
Luna shook her head laughing. " He asked me to watch the place Nuffink, not destroy it. I don't have time to be goofing off today with you, boy." She walked over to the furnace strengthening the fire.
"What if I wanted to teach you how to fly on my dragon? Just curious, but would you have time then?"
Luna lifted her eyebrow in curiosity.
Luna followed him as they made their way into the forest. Zephyr joined them not long after, having spotted them sneaking away she wanted to know what was so interesting as well. When they reached the clearing, StormShadow was waiting, more obedient than Nuffink had ever seen him.
The dragon's calm demeanor took Nuffink by surprise. "Wow, you're in a good mood today," he said, cautiously approaching Shadow. "What's gotten into you?"
The girls exchanged amused looks. Luna spoke up, "Maybe he's just excited wit me." She said as she ran excitedly towards him.
Zephyr nodded eagerly. "Can you teach me how to ride, Nuffink? Please?"
Nuffink hesitated but then agreed. "Alright, but I'll take Luna first. You can have a turn after."
Zephyr frowned. " Excuse me, I'm your sister."
" All the more reason for you to go last!" Nuffink yelled as he climbed aboard the dragon.
With Luna holding on tight in front of him, they took off into the sky leaving Zephyr's yelling to the wind. The world blurred below them as StormShadow soared higher, and Nuffink couldn't help but laugh as they looped through the air.
" Ok, it's simple, just watch my movements ok?" He showed her silently, taking the lead. She watched carefully as he turned left and right and even did a flip. " You guide but let the dragon be itself. You have to have a bond and do it as one."
Luna smiled softly. As she took over, copying and doing as he did. He watched her amazed at how fast she caught on and how trusting Shadow was of her.
"You're getting it."
"You sound like you didn't think I would."
"No, I'm surprised he hasn't done anything crazy yet." He said smiling as she looked back at him doing the same. Suddenly his smile faded.
" What is it?"
"Do you see that?" Nuffink said, his voice tense as he pointed to a terrifying sight as she followed his gaze. It was an enormous, treacherous dragon unlike any they'd seen before. It was solid onyx black and its scales shimmered with a mesmerizing green in the sun. Its sheer size alone was enough to destroy an entire island without a problem.
" Is that a dragon?" Luna asked, not believing her eyes.
Nuffink watched, his gaze unmoving. " We should hide, I have a bad feeling about this."
They guided Shadow higher but closer, hiding behind a cluster of clouds as they watched the scene unfold below. A man stood on the dragon's massive head, riding in silence. Luna looked away as if something upset her. Nuffink searched her face for a clue as to what she was going through.
" Luna…"
" It's him, Nijal Rune, the king of the Scourge."
He was shocked. It was so very hard to take in. Not only was he looking at the man who was responsible for the destruction of so many tribes including Luna's but The Destroyer itself. He had imagined the dragon in massive china and in grief being whipped or beaten to make it do the scourge's bidding. But here Nijal was, interacting with the dragon, not with fear or force, but with what seemed like genuine affection as he squatted down gently stroking its head.
"He's not controlling it," Nuffink whispered, disbelief in his voice. "The dragon… it's not being forced to do this. It's just… evil."
Luna nodded, a chill running down her spine as Nuffink finished. "All this time, Dad's been telling me that dragons aren't evil, that it's the people who use them. But this… this is different."
They listened in horror as the Scourge's warriors discussed their next target: New Berk. They heard talk about the Dragon Master's family and luring him into a trap, and how they were intent on killing the legendary dragon rider and chief Hiccup Haddock.
Nuffink's heart pounded. "We have to warn Dad," he said urgently. "Come on, we need to get back—now."
But as they turned to leave, they were spotted. Two of the Scourge's warriors, mounted on vicious Bonenappers, took off after them. Shadow sped toward Berk, climbing higher and higher to reach its altitude, but the Bonenappers were fast, and they soon closed in, firing arrows that whizzed past Nuffink and Luna.
One of the arrows struck Shadow, causing him to falter mid-flight. They were losing altitude fast, and Nuffink struggled to keep them airborne, but it was no use. With a final desperate dive, they plummeted toward Berk. Nuffink grabbed Luna in an effort to protect her from the fall, as they spiraled down, crashing right into the Haddock home.
The impact was thunderous, and villagers came running to see what had happened. Nuffink barely had time to regain his bearings before his father stormed over, his expression a mix of shock, anger, and fear.
"Nuffink!" Hiccup shouted, rushing to his son's side. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"
Nuffink managed to get up, his adrenaline running so he barely felt pain. " Dad I.."
"What were you thinking? Is this…is this dragon?"
" Dad it's not, it's not how it looks.."
"You had a dragon secret? Nuffink I thought I made myself clear when I told you we were not to be involved with any dragons!"
" But Dad,"
"You could have gotten yourself killed! What if someone, an enemy saw you, You've endangered everyone's lives!"
" That's the thing dad, they did"
Hiccup looked at his son in horror as he held out his arm to him that was pierced with an arrow. " Nuffink…what happened?" The villagers gathered in close.
Nuffink tried to explain, words tumbling over each other as he spoke of what they had seen—the Scourge's plans, the dragon, the threat to New Berk—but Hiccup wouldn't hear it. He had warned Nuffink and now he had gone and put everyone at risk. He was too angry, too scared for his son's safety, for the village's safety.
"This is exactly why I didn't want dragons involved," Hiccup yelled. "And now, you've gone behind my back and brought one into our home! You have led the most powerful enemy we have ever faced right to us. Nuffink I am disappointed in you and not only that, furious. I don't know what has gotten into you son?"
" Dad, I'm..I'm sorry. I was just teaching Luna how to fly, I didn't know this would happen."
" Teacher her how to fly? Nuffink, you've changed, I mean I don't know, I'm starting to think…maybe being around Luna has been a bad influence on you—"
"She's not the problem Dad, I did this on my own!" Nuffink protested, but Hiccup cut him off, his voice hardening as he put his hand up silencing Nuffink.
"I think it's best that Luna will be sent away," Hiccup declared, his tone final. "She's too dangerous to keep here. And honestly I don't believe the Scourge showing up here at the same time that she has is a coincidence"
Nuffink felt a surge of desperation. "Dad, you're making a mistake—"
But Hiccup wouldn't listen. He turned away, ordering the village men to take Luna to the docks. Luna looked Hiccup in the eyes deeply saddened.
" For what it's worth, Hiccup, my family was killed by the scourge. I would never do that to anyone else. I'm not my father."
Hiccup looked away wanting to believe her before looking back into her eyes.
"Maybe you're right, you're not your father, and please don't take this personally Luna, I'm just trying to protect our family, our village. Like any chief would, like any father would if you understand."
Luna nodded. " I would imagine any father being like that. Nuffink is lucky to have a father like you. My father died before I found out what kind of father he would be."
She walked away with the men of her own accord without a fight. Hiccup looked down in guilt remembering how Viggo gave his life in order to save him. He closed his eyes in sadness.
Nuffink watched helplessly as she was led away, a sinking feeling in his chest.
That night, Astrid joined Hiccup on the rooftop, where they sat in silence, keeping a watchful eye over Nuffink, who had been grounded.
"Maybe you should go easier on him," Astrid suggested gently, resting her hand on his. "He's only trying to help."
" He endangered everyone's lives."
" Yeah, but he could have saved them too. At least we have a heads up."
Hiccup sighed, the weight of the day pressing down on him. " I can't help thinking that maybe I made the wrong choices today. I know it was for the best, but should I have sent her away, should he be grounded at a time like this, I don't know."
"You're just doing what you think is best, I get that. But, I think maybe we should give him some space to kind of grow up. I really don't think he or Luna meant any harm. They were just excited to find a dragon and a new species at that."
"Did you know about the dragon?" he asked quietly, his voice betraying his disappointment.
Astrid hesitated but then nodded. "Yes, I knew. I didn't tell you because I thought… I thought he would eventually come to you himself… I know I should've told you. I'm sorry."
Suddenly it fell silent. Hiccup sighed as he pulled away slightly, standing up. "I need to take a walk."
Astrid watched him go, sadness in her eyes. She knew she had hurt him by keeping this secret, but she had been trying to protect their son, just as Hiccup was. Nuffink, who had overheard the conversation, buried his head in his knees, guilt gnawing at him. It felt like everything was his fault.
As Hiccup walked through the quiet village, feeling betrayed and lost, a familiar sound reached his ears—the unmistakable cry of a Night Fury. He looked up, and there, in the moonlit sky, was Toothless, descending to land softly in front of him.
A smile tugged at Hiccup's lips as he reached out to stroke his old friend's snout. "Hey, bud… you're just in time."
ns 15.158.61.8da2
