Hiccup sat at his workbench, tinkering with the Dragon Eye once again. Tiny gears clicked and whirred as he muttered to himself, squinting at the intricate device. “If I just adjust the lens here… maybe it’ll project the map differently,” he said under his breath, his fingers smudged with soot and grease.

Across the forge, Astrid was sharpening her battleaxe with practiced precision. Sparks flew as the metal scraped against the whetstone. Without looking up, she sighed. “Snotlout, can you please leave me alone for five minutes?”

Snotlout, standing nearby with his chest puffed out, flexed his arms dramatically. “Oh, c’mon, Astrid! Don’t tell me you don’t like what you see.” He smirked, striking another exaggerated pose, his dragon Hookfang snorting behind him as if embarrassed.

Astrid rolled her eyes and gave him a sharp glare. “The only thing I see is someone about to get their hair singed off if he doesn’t move.”

Fishlegs, sitting on a crate surrounded by scrolls and dragon manuals, let out a heavy sigh. “Ugh, I’m surrounded by morons,” he muttered, adjusting his glasses as Meatlug lazily yawned beside him.

Ruffnut snatched at something in Tuffnut’s hand. “Give me that back, Tuffnut! It’s my dagger!”

Tuffnut held the dagger above his head, grinning mischievously. “Nuh-uh! You dropped it, and everyone knows the rule—finders keepers!”

The twins immediately began wrestling, rolling across the floor in a blur of limbs and shouts, knocking over a barrel of dragon feed in the process. Barf and Belch groaned in unison, clearly unimpressed by their riders’ antics.

Outside, Heather was quietly washing her dragon, Windshear, humming softly as the Razorwhip flicked her tail through the water. “You did great today, girl,” Heather said with a smile. “Let’s get you all cleaned up before Hiccup needs us for another mission.” Windshear chirped gently, pressing her snout against Heather’s shoulder in affection.

Meanwhile, in the back of the building, the rest of the gang’s dragons—Toothless, Stormfly, Hookfang, Barf and Belch, and Meatlug—were gathered together, happily eating their food. The rhythmic sound of crunching bones and rumbling purrs filled the air, a comforting reminder that even in chaos, the bond between Vikings and dragons remained unshakable.

Hiccup finally looked up from his project, wiping his hands on a rag. “Alright, everyone,” he said with a tired smile, “let’s try not to destroy the place before dinner, okay?”

Astrid smirked slightly, crossing her arms. “No promises.”