23 {Berk’s Bouquet PT:3}

Neil and Hiccup walked up the mountain in silence, partially because they didn't really know each other and another part was that Hiccup seemed to be lost in thought. After having his fill of the awkward silence Neil finally decided to break it. 

"Your father's dragon and mine have pretty good capturing abilities so try to ease up. The more worried you look the more worried those around you become." 

The young teen turned around and looked at him and sighed, "You're right but I'm worried that we won't even get the chance to catch it. I mean the ocean is huge what are the odds we can lure the exact dragon we are looking for before our dragons...if anything happens to Toothless I don't know what I'll do." 

"Well from my personal experience luring them isn't that hard. I was actually attacked by one on my way to Berk. I was left stranded on an island where I had to stay for the next 4 months. That's actually where I met my dragon, he tried to kill me at first though haha."

Hiccup let out a small smile, "When I first met Toothless I was the one who almost killed him. I couldn't do it because I saw a part of me in him, he was afraid just like I was….." 

"Well, the reason I wasn't killed was probably because my dragon wasn't hungry at the time." 

'Though the reason was because of Cora but it'd be difficult to believe. What's worse is someone might try to use Cora to manipulate the Woolly Howl. It might sound pretty out there but so is a villager purposely poisoning everyone's dragons.'

The young Viking forced a smile and nodded, "Thanks Neil, I'm sorry that we didn't welcome you the way we should have…. I just can't believe that the cause for this whole mess was right under our noses this whole time. If it wasn't because of you, who knows how much worse things could have been? Not only that but now you're going to help us save our dragons, a thank you is nowhere near enough." 

Neil smiled and shook his head, "There's nothing to thank me for. I'm just glad that I was able to help. Who is this Mildew though? He must really hate dragons if he tried to poison them."

Hiccup sighed and nodded, "Mildew is an old Viking which is probably why he's having such a hard time adjusting. He which is probably why he grows cabbages on a hill away from Berk. He has tried to get rid of them before, but not like this. To actually try and kill them...it's unthinkable."

"So you guys kicked him out of the village? Seems to me like he's always been a troublemaker."

Hiccup chuckled and shook his head, "It's not that we kicked him out, he pretty much did it to himself. Mildew tried to blackmail my father into forcing the dragons to leave. He said either we kick them out of the village or he would leave. It was an easy choice for my father haha."

'Ouch… that my friend is why you should avoid giving people ultimatums.'

When they were near the top of the mountain the two dragons flew down towards them. Neil and Hiccup were happy to see that both dragons were still healthy. 

"Hey Neil where did you say you met him?" asked Hiccup while inspecting the Woolly Howl. 

Neil shrugged, "I was shipwrecked on the Island without a map so I couldn't say. It took me 4 days to get here though. That includes all the rest stops I had to make and the detour I made to a Market. Why?" 

"Oh, I was just curious because he kinda resembles a Night Fury. I wonder if his kind used to be Night Furys that have changed through evolution. If so this could be the first discovery of dragon evolution!" 

As Hiccup spoke he began to walk closer to it but as he stuck his hand out the Woolly Howl tried biting it which caused the young Viking to jump back. 

Neil smiled and patted the snarling dragon, "Easy there grumpy." 

"Is that his name?"

Neil looked at Hiccup who had started mounting Tornado and shook his head, "No, I can't really say he has an official name. I've tried several things but none of them felt right after a bit I got more used to calling him grump, grumpy, bud, crazy dragon, you know things like that. Naming him stopped becoming a priority when we began getting ambushed by packs of dragons."

Hiccup seemed to have become curious about the story but in the end, he stayed quiet and they flew to the docks. 

When they arrived they found a crew of 5 people waiting on the ship with covered buckets with Blue Oleander in them. The crew was made up of Stoick, Gobber, an old man who he assumed was Mildew, and two others who had volunteered.

"Oh great, now there is another one." 

Neil turned to look at who had spoken and found the old man looking at him with an annoyed expression. 

'Guess they weren't lying when they said he hated dragons.' 

They gathered together a good distance from the ship and began planning.

"So here's the plan, us 5 will ride on the ship while Hiccup and Neil are in the sky. Once we are out at sea we will throw these flowers in the water in hopes that they'll attract a nearby Scauldron. If we are unable to secure the dragon's head Hiccup will dive in with Tornado and let it have a taste of Thor's mighty battle cry. With luck, it should knock it out long enough for us to take its venom with this."

Neil looked at the bucket that the Chief was holding, on top it had a cloth membrane that the tooth would sink into causing it to release the venom. 

"Now if all goes well and we manage to do it without the dragon's assistance, I need Torando to scare it away after we release it. Neil, you know your dragon better than I so you are free to intervene based on your judgment. All I ask is that you keep my boy safe." 

He couldn't help but feel relieved that he was a reserve that would hopefully not have to participate. 

As the group split up and began to move to their places Neil walked over to Stoick, "Chief, I was wondering if you had two throwing axes you could spare." 

The large Viking looked at him and nodded the two made their way to the weapon storehouse and there he took two short axes, and a new quiver full of arrows. 

'While I don't plan on using them it sure is a lot more reassuring to have them.'