"That good-for-nothing- ungrateful- dragon!" Snotlout cursed towards Oden, as he watched the red monstrous nightmare disappear deeper into the blue sky. He tried to open his mouth again, but salt water filled the hole. Sputtering and gasping, he struggled to stay above the water line. His dragon had ditched him AGAIN. When I get my hands on that dragon... he thought. Luckily he'd seen the island while in the air and decided to ride by it. That meant, it wasn't to far of a swim. What a day, he already had a toothache from the twidiots punching him last night. Now this.

The beach he collapsed on was rocky and hard. Still, it was better than the ocean. It was a pretty dull looking place with very little vegetation and all the same colored rocks.

"Great. This had to be the island I just happened to be by." He threw his hands in the air. He loosed his belt buckle and removed his water filled helmet, before beginning to explore the the stupid rock. That was his first mistake. His second was not running when he saw them.

A small ship docked near the west shore was peacefully rocking in the water. A fire was burning where he could hear people laughing and smell food cooking. Maybe they can help me. he thought.

They were a rough looking group, but Snot had seen all of that ten times over. The insignia on the ship was two swords crossed through a bat looking thing. Cool. He thought. As he approached them he raised his hands. 

"Hey there! Do you have room around the campfire for one more viking?" The optimism on his face quickly drained when they stood, weapons unsheathed with a cruel looking demeanor. 

"Take him." One of them said. He was a smaller than the rest, with beady eyes and pale skin. He looked like some sort of shark zombie that walked on land. Although he tried, he didn't make it far before they caught him.

.      .      .

"This ones a dragon rider." A female voice announced. The sound was cold and eerie, like a morning fog drifting to the shores of Berk.

"How do you know?" Another voice, the same one that commanded the men to attack him.

"Look at the callouses on his hands. He's been gripping dragon horns." The female voice again. "He's definitely one of them."

"Thats right I am." Snotlout gloated. "Why don't you show your face coward. Then let me go, and I'll show you what I can do! " Tied and blindfolded, his face planted into the cold stone ground, he was in no condition to be saying those things. He heard a blade unsheathe then felt a small pinch,  centered in the small of his back.

"Silence you insolent fool." The female voice hissed. "Take off his blindfold." She barked, and someone roughy removed it, taking a chunk of his black hair along with it. After adjusting his eyes and raising his head off the ground, he could see his captor.

She was beautiful in a dangerous sort of light. A leather corset was laced up over her white tunic, around her waist was a belt, a few knives hanging loosely around it. She wore trousers and boots instead of a dress. Her long black hair waved wildly around her face, and her eyes, fearsome eyes they were, black as the night and as dead as the winter. Her lips were red and reminded him of blood. This woman was not to be trifled with, and she knew it. He almost could've admired her. 

"How do you stop a bird from flying?" she asked cooly, sword still poised on his back

"You kill it DUH!" He snorted acting unintimidated. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"No, idiot." A disgusted look passed through her face. "You take it's wings.

"I will not kill you, dragon rider." She said the words as if it was poisonous. "I will only dislodge a piece of your spine, which you will survive from after days of excruciating pain, but you will be paralyzed." Her eyes narrowed. "You'll never ride a dragon again." Surprise clung to Snotlout for a few seconds before his Viking attitude and demeanor took over.

"I'd like to see you try!" He squirmed in his ropes and against the blade. "You'll never stop me from riding! You will have to kill me first!"

"Tsk tsk tsk..." she scolded. "I already told you I'm not going to kill you." She bent low and whispered in his face. "I need you to give a message to Hiccup Haddock the 3rd. Chief of the Island of Berk. Heard of him?" A rhetorical question.

"Can't say I have." Snotlout lied.

"Tell him a new era has come about. An age free from dragons riders. I've raised a new generation to liberate the world from your kind." She hissed. "After that, I will kill your dragons in front of you. I have nothing against the beasts, only a longing-" He cut her off.

"blah, blah, blah, I've heard this all before. I've seen your type a million times. I will destroy  you! I will cleanse the world!" He mocked. "Yada, yada, yada, we've stopped people just like you over and over and we'll do it again." He scrunched his nose and came closer to her face. "Do your worst. See what it brings you. I can promise you this. You. Will. Loose."

Rage filled her dead eyes and she did, she did do her worst.

. . .

As long as he didnt move, Snotlout didn't feel pain. Only a numbness accompanied by a nagging cold. At first the agony was so intense he passed out, but when he awoke a dull era of very little feeling reigned. The best part was the she-demon and her minions had abandoned him. 

This isn't so bad. Bet I got a cool scar out of this. He thought. What had she said? That he'd be paralyzed, never ride again. No way. He thought Not this viking. 

Someone would come looking for him, he knew that. That's why she left him here. Not to die, but to relay a message that she was serious. Since mobility wasn't currently an option, his mind wandered around the maze of his brain reliving memories that were pleasant, and trying to skip the painful ones.

He wondered about his comrades and he thought about next week's dragon race. Anything to keep him occupied from the fear that began to rise from the inside. At first his will suppressed the anxiety and the thought of paralysis. But slowly the idea invaded his mind and soon enough sheer panic gripped his whole body.

Heart pounding, he slowly he reached with a stiff arm and touched the small of his back. Sure enough sticky blood stained his hand. What had she done? No. He reasoned. 

I won't believe her.

 I wont give in.

I will ride my dragon again.

When he realized this made a fine sounding song he began mumbling the words over and over searching for the right pitches until it was a soothing melody that kept him company for the next lonely hours.

I won't believe them. 

I won't give in.

I will ride my dragon again.

.   .  . 

When Snotlouts dragon returned to Berk without him, Hiccup inwardly groaned. Periodically Hookfang would drop him like a stone and take off. Not that he could blame the creature, putting up with a viking like Snotlout took some serious loyalty. Besides he was was a temperamental dragon. Someone would have to go find Snot and bring him back... again.

The monstrous nightmare landed right in front of the armory where hiccup was sweating from shaping red hot metal with a hammer. At the moment, his mind was lost in the sea of ideas and possibilities on how to make his invention work. Every creation he tried, was a puzzle, and he didn't stop till he pieced it together. This time, it was a new sword that didn't just catch fire, but had retractable bladed "wings" that would open by the press of a button, it kind of looked like a trident. Although chief now his job title, occasionally he would escape to safety of his old workplace where no one would guess he would be. However, responsibility always seemed to find him anyway.

Setting his project down, he slipped on a white tunic over his bare shoulders and stepped into the beating sun. Hookfang's red scales shimmered as he approached. Hiccup stretched out a hand and felt the tough skin beneath his fingers. Although the dragons coat was beautiful, he still preferred the black scales of his own.

"Lost him again I see." He sighed. A shadow passed overhead and Hiccup raised his eyes to see a Gronkle and its companion.

"Hey fish legs!" He called. "fish legs!" Once hailed, the rider landed. His large stature hunkered over to Hiccup taking note of the riderless Hookfang. Fish legs stubble was slowly progressing towards a beard and his blonde hair was getting a bit long too.

"Snot is probably stranded somewhere, I need you to get a small search party and look for him. It seems Hookfang, dropped him." Fish legs pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned.

"Can't Astrid do it this time? I did it last." he whined in his congested nasal voice.

"I would, but Astrid is teaching today."

"The twins?" He offered. Hiccup folded his arms.

"Nope."

"You?" He desperately tried. Hiccup shook his head. He sighed in defeat and scrunched up his nose in annoyance, mumbling things that couldn't be made out. They turned away from each other going back to their tasks.

. . .

Near the edge of Berk, the small search party gathered together to go over the plan.

"Did anyone see which direction Snotlout took this morning?" Fish legs asked. The other viking men shook their heads except for one.

"I saw him head west." He pointed, with large crooked fingers.

"Thats good to know." Fish legs added. "Lets start with the islands of that same direction." He can't be to far, keep an eye out for the water as well, he might be floating somewhere."

A few nods from the group, and soon they mounted dragons, wings flapping, and ready to get this over with. The day was vibrant, beautiful and warm, or as warm as it could be in that climate. So why was there an empty pit in his stomach?

. . .

It was Fishlegs who found him on a small rocky island a few miles from Berk. How cruel it seemed that universe deemed the most gentle of the dragon riders, to discover Snotlout in the condition he was. As Fishlegs knelt next to his friend he examined the gaping wound in his back. Snotlout grunted and moaned.

"What-took you, so long." Relief washed over Fishlegs, Snot still had his annoying personality.

"Im sorry Snot, I was a little delayed." Quickly he removed the fur pelt from his shoulders and placed it over his shivering body. This is bad. Whatever happened, a dragon didn't do this. He thought. Fish legs looked around suspiciously to make sure no one was there. Cautiously he turned his attention back to the issue. If Snot was going to make it home, he would need to stop the bleeding, he had already lost to much.

"Who did this?"

"some crazy lady who wants to kill the dragon riders." he said nonchalantly.

"Eh, whats new." Fisglegs attempted. "This isn't going to feel fuzzy." He warned.

"Bring it." Snot quietly replied as if he was sleep talking.

After a few tares from his white tunic Fishlegs put pressure on the wounds source, just like the medicine woman Gothi had taught him. He needed to get him to her. Snotlout sucked in a sharp breath and cursed, before settling back down.

"I am going to go get help. We can't move you like this. Stay here."

With clenched fists and gritted teeth Snot spoke. "Nah, I think I'll go for a swim if its alright with you." 

They brought Snotlout back to berk by using a long net tied between two dragons. It acted as a stretcher. Getting him onto it was filled with howling and groans. Thankfully darkness overtook the young viking relieving him of further pain for a while.

Many of the villagers watched in horror as he was carried through camp by Fishlegs and another viking. Fish legs didn't hardly seem to notice the bystanders. He had seen a lot of things. He'd seen death, he'd seen abused dragons, but nothing, nothing bothered him as deeply as seeing his childhood friend in such a state. Snotlout was annoying and hard to deal with, but by Thor he was strong. To witness him take a hit like this made Fishlegs sick with fury, rage, confusion and anxiety all at the same time.

Gothi, a tiny old woman with long gray hair, took him in her hut, which smelled of herbs and firewood. She had them place Snot on the infirmary bed where she examined the wound. turning to Fishlegs, she gestured for him to go away. She needed room to work.

Once the door was shut behind him, he hung his head and stood still for a while. Gothi's hut sat on the cliff overlooking the vast ocean. Chilly sea winds beat away at the rocks, demanding they bow, of course, they never did. Powerful waves crashed against the stones determined to send the island to crumbles, and of course it never did. As he observed this, He prayed to the gods that Snot would be the same as the boulders and never give in.