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This Is War- Part One, Prologue
Claws of Death
-Valka's Dragon Sanctuary, Noon.
Ramming the dragon down to the ground, he reared up, driving his tusks into the poor bastard's vulnerable, icy blue underbelly. As they sank into the flesh, peeling and tearing at the squelching skin around the wound, he felt guts and blood bath his killing machines.
The dragon's roar soon became a scream, its death slow and painful.
An agonised roar tore through the air, as a resonating thud echoed across the battlefield, as it drove them all the way through, piercing the other side and hovering over the snowy ground, now tinted a sickening red.
Blood gushed out its underbelly, as he removed his tusks, watching as its eyes rolled to the back of his skull, and it died on the spot.
Watching, the reality took its sweet time to sink in;
The Alpha had fallen.
At first, he heaved and panted, slowly turning around, barely aware that crimson blood and guts were dripping and sliding off his tusks, blood splattered across his face and caking his neck.
He looked like a mad-dragon- but, then again, he was.
He already worked for a mad-man, so this was nothing special. But, the agony and horror that followed his victory had him wanting to die.
Lifting his dark, massive head, the Bewilderbeast bellowed, as his mind practically exploded; bright, disturbing lights of rapidly spinning and flashing red, black and blue tortured him, and he fought with all his mind to get rid of them. But alas, they continued to dance in his eyes, and from the outside, it just appeared as if his eyes were turning into incredibly narrow slits.
Despite the onslaught of pain, he soon found himself gleefully accepting and welcoming it; this was what it felt like to be an ALPHA. The king, and all-powerful ruler of all dragon kind.
His roar soon became one of command, and before long, hypnotised, mind controlled dragons from both their sides flew around his head. Shrieking and screeching, they showered their new Alpha with respect and submission.
Coming down with a mighty thud, his eyes and mind slowly started to come back to reality.
The monster of a dragon decided to test out his new ability.
His mind reached out to all dragons, as he easily broke down their mental defences.
BOW, MY SUBJECTS!
The expectantly staring gathering of dragons, the oh so puny dragons, respectively obeyed, practically grovelling before him. They were completely heedless of what they were doing.
Any who weren't in his command yet, well, they were flying around him like little Fireworms trying to protect their pathetic Queen. Ugh, they always were wretched little things. His mind was slowly slipping into a state of what he'd put next to insanity, but he didn't give a single shit. He had everything right now, in this glorious, shining moment. With a furious roar, he rose once more on his hind legs, watching as the annoying, blind souls who didn't see his power and majesty, flew around blindly, trying to find and attack him, while desperately attempting to not crash into a trap or wall, and attempting (and failing) to steal back their independence from his iron claws of will.
His blue and red gaze suddenly whipped to the side, feeling a very powerful jab to his skull, that almost made him wince in pain.
Almost.
Not really.
Turning his gruesome head to the side, he searched the sky for what he was looking for; he reached out mentally, and rather than finding one powerful mind, he found two.
Except, one was human.
While he was beyond furious that those stupid Dragon Riders were messing everything up, again, even in his moment of glory, he couldn't resist snorting in pleasure, by the powers of Loki, he had a aptitude for this!
His frustrated roar split the air, and sent tremors through the earth below his feet, but that foolish dragon and its human didn't appear before him as he ordered.
Batting at both of their minds at the same time, he tried to lure them in; ah, yes, he could control humans, too. It had only been on very rare occasions, but none the less, he could do just that. It was some what of a challenge, too, since the primal instincts in the minds of humans was quite low, and they weren't exactly the same race. But, that didn't mean dragons couldn't dominate humans.
As he lost his patience and rammed his full power into the two's minds, he knew they were done for.
He heard cries and shouts of other humans, and screeches from their dragons, but he inwardly laughed at them. There was nothing they could do now. They should have submitted to him when they had the chance; now, they would meet the same demise as that pathetic snowy Bewilderbeast, laying dead and mangled on the cold, unforgiving, blood stained, snowy ground of a battlefield. A place where the war had already been won, even before the first ship was docked at the shore.
Two equally as pained screams tore split the air like a knife through butter, one human, and one dragon.
He watched, amused but almost pitiful, as a black streak crashed into the ground not far from him, the sound of snapping bones and their heavy landing echoing through the icy battlefield.
He snorted, listening as they went silent. However, they were still alive, and he could tell.
...It was time to finish this.
Oo---------------------------oOo----------------------------oO
-Valka's Dragon Sanctuary, Noon
Drago Bludvist watched. He watched all of it. Right from when the Muddy Bewilderbeast brutally murdered the Alpha, to when he took down the legendary Ancestral Night Fury.
Only when that happened, did he step in, as his Queen had ordered.
The Bewilderbeast noticed his forthcoming, and snarled his immediate resolve. Drago ignored the massive creature, knowing very well it was just its mind slipping into nothing, and just pits of darkness and insanity.
Eventually giving in, the Bewilderbeast followed his 'master' to where the dragon and rider had fallen.
They found the rider laid on his side, barely breathing. The young man's ribs were clearly broken, and he was unconscious in his own pool of blood.
Not far away, his Night Fury stood, banged up bad.
His wing was clearly broken, the membrane torn into shreds. Blood was oozing out a long cut on his side, and his body was bent in a way that made some of his ribs literally stick out of his body. He groaned, blearily blinking, and trying to grasp what happened. When he saw his human, his eyes widened in horror and panic, and only expanded upon sighting Drago and his Bewilderbeast.
The Alpha looked bored, although the madman at its feet looked more disappointed. “Really?” He asked, basically to no one. “All those years waiting for this so-called legendary rider, and THIS is what we get?” Toothless felt some confusion behind the terror and pain, but it was nearly fully blocked by the overruling emotions. “Pathetic.” The madman snarled. He spun his bull-hook around to face the Alpha, who hissed in warning.
DO NOT TRIFLE AND TOY WITH ME, OLD Master. I am a FREE ALPHA now!
The Bewilderbeast shouted at the man, who merely grunted, muttering something about 'doing this old-fashioned'.
With a single motion, he swung his weapon around repeatedly over his head, shouting words telepathically from long, long ago, under a simple yell. Immediately, the Bewilderbeast bellowed his rage, being confined in the spell's magical bindings.
As it struck, he groaned, a horrific sound to hear, and felt his whole body shudder.
Drago merely looked on coldly, as the dragon once again became his own. The Night Fury had moved some what closer to his fallen rider, who was now awake and alert of his surroundings. The viking was downright petrified, watching the whole thing with no words and only pain and fear to fill him.
“NOW.” Drago snarled, his voice laced with so much venom and malice, it could have downed and entire army.
He slowly lifted his bull hook from where the Bewilderbeast stared at it, entranced, and moved it right over so it landed directly on the Night Fury. The Alpha followed it, and got the idea; its bloody frills twitched, and a series of agitated clicks rose from its throat; it's eyes narrowed even further, continuously switching from extra thin to deadly thin.
Hiccup froze, not needing to be fully conscious, or told what that meant.
Whimpering in a way that was inhumane, he watched in terror, as his beloved partner started roaring and battling, until he finally fell under the Alpha's terrifying, bending will and power....
…......And became the Alpha's own.
Drago pointed his bull hook at Hiccup's chest, speaking a blunt, menacing voice.
“Kill him.”
Hiccup's eyes widened, as the Bewilderbeast sent the command, and was received, by an alien-sounding growl from Toothless.
As if he was never wounded, the Night Fury started to walk and partially limp towards him...
Set to kill.
He was a complete puppet.
His best friend was a slave to the Bewilderbeast.
The Alpha.
Drago Bludvist.
And it was all his FAULT.
So he stood, and accepted his death, unaware of what laid ahead of that one mistake, which turned out to be more of a miracle.
Oo---------------------------oOo----------------------------oO
-Valley of Echoes, Midnight.
Dark wings covered the moon, blocking the silver glow from touching the land.
It was a dragon.
With pitch black scales that blended in with the night sky, sparkling and shimmering in the pale light of the starlight, and glowing red eyes that were enough to strike terror into the hearts of any foe, the creature was truly a sight to behold.
And upon its back, a large hunk of a man sat, silent as he stared blankly down on the beautiful landscape most would admire.
The dragon dove, tucking its massive wings to its sides, levelling out over the Valley of Echoes.
As it's name implied, the long, dark crevice between the mountain sides, bounced off loud noises
perfectly; such was the case for a haunting shriek.
Dragons, critters, birds and predators alike cowered in fear, as huge shadows passed over their nests and homes, the sound of wings beating against the chilly night breeze alerting them of the beast's nearby presence. With a single roar, Whispering Deaths whimpered. When passing a cold glare over the nest of a Changewing, the residents scurried to hide.
Cowards, it thought.
The rider on its back merely grunted at his dragon's statement, veering the creature towards a dark fortress upon the hill.
Gliding over the high mountain peaks, they encountered one flock of terrified Sand Nadders* and a dumb, and now brutally mangled and dead Snub-Nosed Gronckle [OCDS-2], before they turned, entering a ring of large, towering and intimidating mountains, that closed in on a rocky, barren wasteland which had only two ways out; flying, or somehow find their way through the endless complex of underground tunnels. He flew up high over the mountain, then dived down the side of the mountain in a curving slope.
The black dragon snapped his wings open, hovering over the huge black fortress that contained tortures and memories beyond imagination. They circled it twice, before gliding down to the huge, desolate clearing at its front. Great clouds of grey dust flew up around the beast, shrouding the already dark dragon in a cloak of grey.
Guarding the entrance were six armoured dragons, standing in a defensive line with watchful eyes. Upon seeing the huge dragon land, they stepped aside, and a moment later, the wall seemed to shift, and open, the result of huge doors sliding open.
The rider kicked the dragon's shoulder, who snorted and laid down. The man swung his leg over, and leaped off the huge beast, landing with a thud.
Drago Bludvist, Shur'tugal, Rider of Skulblaka Deathstar, had arrived.
Oo---------------------------oOo----------------------------oO
-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Midnight.
“YOU LET THEM ESCAPE?!” She shrieked, and Drago gathered up his tolerance. This was going to be rough.
Her eyes narrowed, as he rose his voice. “We did NOT let them go, your majesty- rather, we attempted to rid of them in a place that would convince the viking world they are dead.” He paused, wondering why he even tried, since she didn't look convinced, even in the slightest. “And,” Drago explained, “The fools have believed it.”
“Yes,” Scarlet snarled, looking ready to slaughter a dozen armies. “And now the GODS have them.”
The crimson dragon lowered her head to look them directly, her glowing, slitted-pupil, piercing yellow eyes illuminating the scales around them in a bright glare. Shining in the light, her scarlet (hence her name) scales glittered like jewels. After a silent pause, she made a deep rumble in her throat, and lowered her head to his level. Drago wasn't even a sixth of the size of her snout, and he was only just smaller than her eye.
“At least the Archipelago is weakened now.” The Dragon Rider cast his dark gaze aside, trying to muster up some excuse to save his ass.
“Go on...” The dragoness hissed.
Drago pressed on, his dragon still silent by his side. “Without the Rider and his Dragon, the Archipelago is now quite vulnerable- Especially their home,” He explained, “We could take the Island now, and surely, that would stir enough controversy-”
“Yes, but we don't need THAT.” The red dragon interrupted.
“We needed them-” She turned her head on one side, so she could stare right at him with one massive eye. Drago couldn't resist it. He cowered, almost going onto his knees in fear.
She stayed calm, which honestly made things even more terrifying. “-We needed the one thing you let slip out of our grasp... Poof, just like that!” She bared her sharp, white teeth at him in a snarl. “And THAT'S the excuse you come up with?”
Drago stayed silent. Beside him, his Skulblaka Night Fury hissed in warning, daring her to touch his rider.
Raising his voice to the conversation, Deathstar made sure to pour a ton of malice into his voice within the next few seconds. Remember, you big bag of scales, He hissed, You need us. We are at your command, but go too far, and you'll regret it.
A little nagging voice tugged at the back of Drago's mind- Hasn't she already gone past the limit? His thoughts didn't reach his dragon, for obvious reasons. Deathstar was awful at keeping his temper In heated situations, especially in arguments such as these. The dragon's muscles were tense with caution, ready to spring or attack at any moment.
Queen Scarlet hissed, nodding slowly. “Yes, yes, I know... Drago, could you tell your little lizard companion to shut his mouth, please?” She looked at her claws casually. “I'd absolutely HATE it for any... Accidents... To occur, within the next hour of briefing.”
Raising a hand and laying it on the dragon's scaly shoulder, Drago soon managed to silence his dragon.
“Now,” Scarlet said. “This is not the first time you have failed me, Shur'tugal. I expect this to NEVER happen again. Sound good to you?”
He glared coldly up at his Queen. “No promises, your highness.”
“Very well...”
She hissed, her eyes glowing briefly as she licked her thin forked tongue over her teeth.
Drago repeated his words. “No. Promises.”
Oo---------------------------oOo----------------------------oO
Spoiler: click to toggle
This Is War- Part One, Prologue
Claws of Death
The tale of Hiccup and Toothless' prophesied ascension was indeed one to be known, and spread far and wide- across many lands...
Looking up to the sky the Outcasts, once a tribe as their name implied, they once more searched for the black wings, which would descend and reveal the warm, smiling face of his friendly rider... But they never came, they didn't any more, because they couldn't.
Some demanded for his true murderer's head... Drago Bludvist...
As the rider's father unrolled yet again another scroll from the Bog Burglars, he braced himself for yet again more sympathetic words, and reports of sightings... He had sworn to murder Drago Bludvist himself (as painfully as humanly possible), but their multitude of allies had insisted they help with the search...
No-one could find the man, no less figure out his whereabouts...
The chief quietly set down the scroll, sighing. His long-lost wife came up beside him, sat, and remained silent as they mourned for what had to be the fiftieth time...
But in the same way, no man, nor dragon, knew what had truly happened to the dragon and his boy... For the path of ascension, was not known to mankind, not for years after the duo's new beginning...
In the quiet of night, one husky boy sat in his room, reading, trying to understand. Beside him, his Gronckle Meatlug followed his eyes along the page, being quiet as to not disturb Fishlegs in his thinking, and reading. How she wished she could tell her beloved boy, how she wanted to tell him what had happened... For she knew...
Ascension was known to be the last stage of a living being's life, the final journey, which never ceased to end, only ending for the one chosen for them on Midgard... For one's journey never ends, as long as they keep dreaming and believing...
Astrid, once the love of the rider's life, sat on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. She stared into the distance, no noise except for the quiet sound of the waves clashing against the rocks and beach in the distance. Her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly, keened to see her best friend, who she would never see again... The one she loved, loved as much as her rider, the Night Fury who would never return...
Grief came to all, who heard, who saw, no matter their opinions, and thoughts, for the greatest Dragon Rider, and his Night Fury, had fallen, one more mysteriously than the other...
It was times like these that would hurt the Thorston twins, hurt them worse than any Plasma Blast could. They were known for loving pain, destruction, and basically anything terrible, but this was not something they had ever actually imagined happening... And the pain was unlike anything they could handle... Behind them, their Zippleback was silent, mournful. The four heads exchanging the saddest glances with each other...
But no anger, no bloodshed, and no revenge would ever remove the pain, and it would only soothe it. Nothing could ever end the agony, and end the forlorn feeling they all experienced. And they knew it...
A Monstrous Nightmare lifted his head from his rider's lap, catching his teary gaze with a whimper. Snotlout, who was the rider's cousin, who liked to keep his true emotions a secret, sat in the dark, rather cold empty caves underneath the island, crying like never before for the one he had bullied cruelly for the majority of their lives...
Little did they all know, it was not the last time they would see him... He had a bigger role to fulfil on Midgard, larger than any chiefdom... The meeting of the dragon and his boy was no work of luck or chance... It was more than coincidence, a work of fate, a work of the gods...
Somewhere in the far away lands, an enormous crimson dragon tilted her head to the sky, feeling droplets of blood slide down her snout, and splat on her gold chain mail, as she looked down... At another dead Bewilderbeast... Another dragon who had failed her... A dragon who had once been an Alpha, only to be defeated again...
They would not go down, not without a fight...All evil would one day cower before them, the saviours, and guardians, of Midgard... Justice would soon be laid upon the evil, light brought to the dark, and peace to the world...
After a traumatising audience with their Queen, Drago Bludvist and his Night Fury, Deathstrike, hid in a faraway forest, the thick layer of greenery hiding the huge shadow that was Deathstrike. The black creature's red eyes snapped open, panicked for a brief second, but found he had only been experiencing an nightmare. He lifted his head to gaze at the moon peaking out of the treetops, feeling the rush of wind at the sides of his neck and head... Oh, he wished to be in the sky, without a care in the world...
Riding upon a winged dragon of black....
As a blinding blue-purple rift began to close, two enormous, bat-like and black wings, studded with silver scales scattered on the underneath, flapped steadily and rapidly as they braced the user for a landing...
A rider of the night will come in Midgard's darkest hours...
From its back, slid off a dark, strong and lean figure, wrapped in a black-scaled cloak, landing effortlessly on the ground with a small thud. Beside him, the dragon turned to gaze out upon the mountains, scales glittering like little gems...
And with his Night Fury by his side...
The dragon arched his neck up to the sky, letting loose a huge roar that echoed for miles.
They shall destroy the Scarlet Queen.
The dragon turned to its rider, snorting. He looked back, upon their many years on Berk growing up... The times when they were defeated so easily....
…........
To say in the least, his Hiccup wasn't so much of a hiccup any more.
He found that Shurtugal Hiccup, Guardian of Midgard, and the soul-mate-of-heart-and-mind of the Skulblaka Toothless, Night Fury, sounded a bit more... Appropriate.
….............................
Especially as they descended towards one of Drago Bludvist's camps, and proceeded to attack.
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Spoiler: click to toggle
This Is War- Part One, Chapter 2
The Man of Unknowing
I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the brightness of the light surrounding me- no, us. A black figure touched the side of my leg, my good leg. I felt like I should be scared, surprised, but I wasn't. As the light began to fade, I squinted, peering into the dissipating gaps, trying to make sense of my location.
Suddenly, all the glowing whiteness seemed to intensify, then disappear completely.
We were in a cove. Me, and the big black creature, who was still beside me. The creature was beautiful, really. I looked around in awe, almost dumbstruck. I felt like I knew this place- but why was I here? Was this a trick by Loki? And who was this creature beside me?
More importantly, what was this creature?
It was covered in shiny, glistening jet black scales. Its gorgeous, vivid, bright forest green eyes shone like emeralds... It had four legs, ending in four sharp claws on each foot. Its head was almost triangular, and it was quite flat; with the way its eyes were positioned, it looked like it would have good range of sight... At the end of his head, there were what looked like flaps- ear flaps. Not the most creative of names, I know, but I found it legit enough for the time being. A row of small spikes ran across his skull, and all down the creature's back, were spines that appeared to be split in two... Very aerodynamic. He was truly a stunning creature.
Most extraordinary of all, however, were its wings.
Two, huge, (mind you, they were folded, so who knows how big they really were) not unlike bat wings that sprouted from his back, behind its shoulders. Further down its side and tail, a second set of wings were located, under the creature's folded wings, just visible to my eye. Continuing down the tail, there were two more 'wings', tail-fins that were slightly bigger than the creature's head.
To say in the least, I was surprised to see one of the fins was bright red, with a white skull on it; the wing looked like it was artificial, perhaps a prosthetic- I couldn't tell. Maybe it was normal, or a good thing for that matter. I knew I should be running as fast as I could, away from the creature, but something inside... Told me I didn't have to fear it at all.
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I tried not to stare at the interesting creature, although that was sort-of the impression he was emitting, constantly. I didn't him to get angry at me- well, at least, I presumed it was a boy... I didn't know why, I guess second instinct, and the actual possibility we did know each other. And, well... I didn't dare try and check...
For a reason I once again I didn't understand, we began walking around the cove, silent in one another's company. And, it indeed seemed I was enjoying it....
And right there, I really began to wonder why a creature like this, who was bound to have
animal instincts, and tons of power; not to mention, the ability to fly... (unless he was actually a mutated penguin from an experiment gone wrong)
…......
Why didn't he just fly away? Eat me? Surely he was hungry... Most importantly of all, why did he spare my life at all? I was nothing to this stunning, beautiful creature of the night...
But maybe he should be questioning me, if we did know each other...
…..............
And gods, why did my brain hurt so much?!
Oo---------------------------oOo----------------------------oO
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we sat down, barely inches away from each other, just close enough for our comfort and liking. Or, at least, my liking.
Every now and then while we were walking, he would look at me longingly, sometimes coming within a hairsbreadth from touching me; particularly, my hand. But at the last second, it was like something yanked on his brain, and he would whine and turn his head away, and we would continue on our silent journey.
For a long good while, we just simply stared at the crisp blue sky, watching as the bright sun began to set. One time, the creature had its attention on me, as if studying me. I was aware of this, but decided against saying anything- after all, I had done the same to him a while back.
At this time, I suddenly (and rather randomly) realised I was hungry. My stomach just now felt... Empty.
He must of sensed this, because a moment later, he shifted into a position where he could dive his head into the water, and bring out a writhing fish, which he stared at, rather confused for a bit, before it stopped moving completely. At that, we were both staring.
Finally, he seemed to pass it off, with what looked like a shrug... Although my attention was on the slippery and slimy fish he had just dropped in my lap. He enthusiastically nudged my shoulder, looking at me, then the fish. Of course he wanted me to eat this...
Somehow, I wound up eating the fish, which made the creature stop fidgeting in impatience. He seemed delighted, really, but I was confused; The fish I had just ate, hadn't exactly been disgusting or nice, and most certainly hadn't tasted like fish- it tasted like nothing! It was like I had all of a sudden lost my taste buds.... Bud.
Oo---------------------------oOo----------------------------oO
Bud.
That. One. Word.
I looked at the dragon, which hit me again with even more thoughts and memories, all kind of blurred. Memories kept bursting forth into my brain, flooding and flashing, one after the other, like a million voices talking at once, just with intact ears.
Wait- this was a dragon! A sworn enemy of my people! My people...
For not the first time, memories came rushing in, now seemingly replacing the ones that had just been there. Picturing it, I could see it more close to looking like the Snoggletog Dragon Migration.
Hold on- Snoggletog? Dragon Migration? Well, the latter made more sense, especially with names... Who names a festive holiday Snoggletog? Us, apparently.
In the blinded and confused state my mind was in, something thought it was a good idea to make me subconsciously place one hand on the dragon's shoulder beside me. Most likely, not a good idea.
Oo---------------------------oOo----------------------------oO
(Spoiler alert for HTTYD 2, in a sense)
When I realised my mistake, my heart could of burst out of my chest. Oh. Gods.
“I'm so sorry bud! I didn't- Wait...” I paused. If I called him bud, we had to be friends at least- because it seemed more like a nickname, than anything.
“Why am I sorry...?” My thoughts took flight through words, one of the many times I wished that didn't happen to me.
Something I those two lines, or the expression on my face, or a combination of both, had to be immensely amusing, because the dragon proceeded into a state of uncontrolled noises, which sounded like... Laughter?
While the dragon laughed, I noticed something rather important- it had no teeth.
“We were scared of a toothless dragon?” I asked, but as I repeated in my head, one word blotted everything in my head, and threw them out the window.
Toothless.
Toothless.
“TOOTHLESS!” I flung my arms around the Night Fury's thick scaly neck, loving the feeling and warmth emitting from him. All of a sudden, this one dragon meant so much more. I remembered how we met (which made me cringe and nearly cry), bonded, and everything after that in seemingly ten seconds, all while holding onto my best friend.
I didn't even properly acknowledge his happy noises, or how he returned the hug in best way possible, I was so happy.
To think a few minutes ago I thought he would kill me...!
Kill me. The final piece of the puzzle slid in, with a cold chill through my body, and a skip of my heart. My dad hadn't reached me in time...
Toothless killed me.
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Spoiler: click to toggle
This Is War- Part One, Chapter 3
The Path-Way to Change
“Now, can someone tell me the shot limit of a Deadly Nadder?”
It was just a 'standard' day of teaching at the Berk Dragon Training Academy. Fishlegs was chosen for the lesson's teacher, and his young students were somewhat... Distracted. How typical.
Lined up in front of him, were the Academy’s current group of students, nine of the kids.
They were all within the teen ages of 14 and 16, as was the standard of their level, and what the teens were training at. In two to three years, depending on their success, the students, if they wished, could advance their studies, so when they were ready, they could be trained to become a proper Dragon Rider. And, with that, was the bonding of them and their future life-partner.
The 'Bonding' was now a full-fledged ceremony, that occurred when the eggs hatched... Oh. Forgot.
Riders had to know how to deal with dragon hatchlings- not just from the book, either. So, when the students were ready, they chose (usually with their teacher's help) their future partner as an egg, and they would all hatch on the night they met their riders. Then, they would have a week to help their baby dragon stretch their limbs, get used to their new home, and so on. After a week or so, they would begin their training.
And that's how it would work, hopefully for generations to come.
As of now, there were only 6 trainers, with 1 in final training. Aside from Fishlegs and his Gronckle Meatlug, there was Astrid and her Deadly Nadder Stormfly, Snotlout with his Monstrous Nightmare Hookfang, the Twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut with their Hideous Zippleback Barf & Belch; and in training, was the soon-to-join Eret, with his (rather) new Rumblehorn, Skullcrusher. Speaking of the Rumblehorn...
Skullcrusher had been Stoick the Vast's dragon for roughly two years- until, his old Thunderdrum, dubbed Thornado, had returned, with the dragons that had caused him to leave; the three Thunderdrums known as Bing, Bam and Boom had matured over two years, and were now part of Berk's Academy, Society and Defences.
To which Skullcrusher had responded calmly and respectively, Thornado had taken up the mantle of being the chief's dragon once more, somewhat putting Skullcrusher in a more docile and energetic position as Eret's dragon, who was still young, and in need of learning- after all, Eret wasn't like the other Vikings on Berk; neither was Skullcrusher, in the likes of Berk's dragons, who were burdened with faded scars of the Red Death and the war.
Even with the amazing new additions, the Academy would never be better, or the same...
Because Hiccup and Toothless were gone.
“Six?” An eight year old blonde girl with green eyes, called Ellia, correctly answered his previous question. This brought the husky young man back into the real world, and he could only bluntly nod in response, turning around and not noticing the students' confused and somewhat concerned expressions.
He continued on with the lesson, talking and staring on without emotion, not showing any of his grieving thoughts to the children. This was, until he was asked a particular question.
“Fishlegs sir,” a boy spoke up, frowning. “What's the shot limit of a Night Fury?”
Oo---------------------------oOo----------------------------oO
Silus walked through the dense forest, muttering words under his breath while kicking the ground
every time he stopped. Silus, a small boy, but tall, had short black hair and blue eyes, dark blue like no one had ever seen before. Perhaps the most distinct thing about him, was, well, his amazing memory...! Ok.... Just kidding, he had the downright worst memory the entire Viking Archipelago had ever seen...
He was a good thinker when put to it, though. And right now, he was quite deep in thought, as could be seen by his very hard face.
Why? What made the Night Fury such a touchy subject? How could it possibly affect the Chief? The Chieftess- Gods, the riders! The dragons! What could possibly-
Wait... His memory was killing him again, wasn't it? Why would it be touchy for them...
He racked his memory for all the recorded dragons, and their riders... His teachers... Valka and Cloudjumper... Heather and Windshear... Hiccup, and what was it? Ah, yes... Toothless...? Who were they again?
…...........................
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…..........
Oh.
That explained a lot.
He wasn't only the first rider of Berk... He had been the son of the chief! He had rode a Night Fury, hadn't he? Right... Right, the same dragon... Who killed him about a year ago, before his family had came to Berk... HOW DID HE FORGET THAT?!!
He was trying to wrap his head around it, when a branch hit him square in the face. Or, more like branched in the face.
With a exasperated yelp, followed by a groan, he opened his eyes, to see that he had reached the same Cove that Hiccup befriended his dragon, Toothless the Night Fury... Yes, Night Furies were the most aerodynamic, rarest-of-all- and deadliest species of them all- weren’t they?
For some reason he felt was related to this, he was attracted to the cove. Why?
…........................................................
He honestly had no idea.
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He walked up to the side of the lake, grumbling curses. This had been stupid.
Great. I went ahead and scraped the skin off my knees for nothing... He thought, as he saw a fish jump out of the water. He snorted. Well, at least I saw the magnificent and oh so INCREDIBLY rare occurrence of a fish surfacing in a lake...
He was about to try and make the most of the situation by taking a wash, clear the dirt and dust off his knees, when he noticed something flicker in the water's reflection. Focusing, he gasped, and spun round, now terrified as he heard a very comforting noise.
Behind him was a Night Fury.
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Spoiler: click to toggle
This Is War- Part One, Chapter 4
See You In Valhalla, Bud
Toothless killed me.
Those words hit me like a freight train.
Trying to close my mouth, wishing I hadn't gasped in horror like I had, I staggered back, nearly tripping. Toothless lifted his head up, now confused. When he read my expression... Let's just say all happiness melted away faster than the close-range sun melts an ice cube.
He whimpered, pawing the ground, his pupils wide and shiny. Crouching low, he whined, begging for forgiveness. I didn't know what to think.
How?
How did my best friend, kill me?!
The Night Fury's ear-flaps were pressed back against his head, and the dragon had never looked so upset and pleading in all my time. My twenty years. Wow...
The expression 'I'm gonna die young' suddenly had a whole new meaning- a literal one.
“I can't believe you...” As soon as those words escaped my lips, I felt like my whole world just got nuked.
Toothless had collapsed, and basically performed the dragon version of breaking down. With his paws over eyes and wings helplessly at his sides, heart-wrenching sounds that were equivalent to crying and sobbing coming from the his throat, Toothless felt like all the godforsaken fire had been sucked right out of him.
My own eyes were watery, and I honestly hated myself. I only knew one thing; this wasn't Toothless' fault, it couldn't be... Had he fallen? Maybe he had been squished... No, only a madman would think that-
Madman.
Oh.
Oh Thor.
Why did his life have to be so confusing?
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I bit my lip, racking my brain for something, some words that I could use to... Comfort him? Apologise? Forgive? Honestly, I didn't know how to handle this.
I decided to do the one thing that came to my head; Try.
“Hey...” The soft whisper brought the Night Fury to attention, and he lifted his head with a whimper. I was surprised to see the scales around his eyes were noticeably shiny, and wet. Thin streams of blueish moisture trickled down the sides of his head. It was only after that I realised that Toothless was crying. Dragons could cry...?
He whined again, behind him his tail flopping on the ground like a fish out of the water. I quietly went down onto my knees, and crawled towards the hesitant dragon.
I reached out to touch him, and he shrieked in horror, jumping back. For a moment, I wondered if my hand smelled like eel, for some reason, probably due to the fact Toothless had reacted similarly when he had the Eel Effect. I flipped it over, and I didn't have to sniff it to know it wasn't the reason why, Toothless was displaying it perfectly.
Toothless was scared he would hurt me.
There was no denying it. The dragon, with paws and wing over his eyes, had even gone the length of stuffing his other wing in his mouth, to prevent anything from happening.
I wasn't sure how to handle this. Up until now, I hadn't ever thought of how you would handle a conversation between me and my murderer, who here, so happened to be my best friend. It was a bit on the ridicules side, and near impossible- but apparently, now it wasn't.
So, I decided to try a different approach. “Toothless, look at me,” the Night Fury made what sounded like a howl, and my interest spiked over my desperation for a second. I quickly pushed it away.
“Is this what he- I, would of wanted...?” I asked, gently resting a hand on his paw. He let out a muffled warble, and if it wasn't so sad, I probably would of chuckled at how silly the 'Unholy offspring of lightning and death itself' looked right now.
The dragon finally lifted his head, which he then shook and drew it back in.
“Toothless... Please...” I looked at the ground, sighing.
This wasn't going to be easy.
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Toothless' ears perked up, hearing a shuffle, and then a small thump, as he felt something warm lean against his side.
A few minutes passed, and the urge and his curiosity was getting too dire, so Toothless dared to peek out of his protective cover, even just for a few seconds. He was shocked to see Hiccup contently smiling as he laid against him, eyes heavy-lidded, perhaps from exhaustion. Was he... Was Hiccup falling asleep on him?
He tried to convince himself it was just his hallucination, and all the previous events had never happened, and in a few hours, he would wake up in the Haddock Household, his rider softly snoozing in his bed, and his father soon to leave for his chief rounds doing chief-ly stuff. But every time he tried, the more he realised this was, well... Reality.
Toothless had meant to only peek, for only a few seconds.
Instead, he wound up staring, and considering he was tired at the end, it was most likely for hours.
This dawned on him when his rider shifted, then yawned, and Toothless gaped.
How long had he been staring...?!
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I sat on the lip of the cliff, one hand on Toothless' head. Dragon and rider sat together over their home, their friendship healed, their souls ready to move to Valhalla, as one.
I titled my head to the night sky, watching the stars twinkling. I could see a group of people taking a midnight stroll, talking quietly. Beside me, Toothless looked at them with great sadness, and when I focused on them, I gasped silently, as tears found their way to my eyes.
My friends.
Among them were Astrid and Eret, too. I couldn't see their dragons, but I had a feeling they were nearby, most likely mourning too.
I hated how sad and quiet they were, how they comfortingly touched each other's hands, leaned on one another... I knew why. Toothless wailed in guilt, pulling away just as I stopped him.
“No Bud... It wasn't your fault.” The dragon crooned, and I hugged his head to my chest. “We've been other that.”
I knew I couldn't do anything to help. In fact, I was wondering why I was still here...
Was this a punishment?
More importantly, and only now did I actually think about it, why and how was Toothless here?
It was actually rather obvious, Toothless had displayed it easily, a second tragedy had happened when I died. It sent shudders down my spine and tears to prickle my eyes to even think of how, and the fresh scar down his neck gave off a chilling presence.
I turned my attention back to the friends I had come to love and protect, choking back the sobs in my throat. I was barely aware of the mirth of liquid streaming down my cheeks, but I knew my eyes were stinging.
“I'm sorry.” I whispered, never taking my eyes off them. “I'm sorry guys...”
“I guess I wasn't strong enough...”
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I woke up with a loud throbbing in my head, and I looked around, and was surprised to see white walls.
Sitting up, I took in that I was in a room- it was big, in it only the bed I was laying in, a bedside table, and some cabinets to the side. Curtains to my right slightly left open revealed sunlight, so I took it that there was a balcony there, and daylight.
That's when I realised that Toothless wasn't here. Panic flashed through me, no, I couldn't lose Toothless too!
When I looked at the beside table, I saw a note. My panic ceased for a second, as I saw what looked to be Toothless in the writing- Very, very, neat writing that almost made my jaw drop.
I began to read, curious.
Dear Shurtugal, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, Dragon Rider,
Forgive us for the confusion, but in order for events to occur properly, we had to put you into a room where your dragon, Toothless, cannot access you. Do not worry, after this, your quarters will be... Interesting.
Before you panic more than you most likely have, Toothless is safe, and in a moment, you will see him.
In the closet to your left, beside the door (I looked over to it), is a selection of clothes we have chosen for you to wear- yes, you can wear these clothes, in fact, they're rather simple because we feared you wouldn't know who to deal with anything more.
Also, I'm sorry to say, Toothless' Plasma Blast did burn your Flight Suit; However, while I will not say anything, eventually the concept of such a thing will seem... Bizarre.
Please, dress, you only need to be casual, and there should be some water to your bedside table- Then, go outside, where you will be greeted by a man, who will introduce himself, then escort you to your next locations, and your dragon.
I put down the note, slightly shocked and confused, but more on the lines of excited. I had to admit, I was upset by the fact my Flight Suit was done for- Why would such a thing be bizarre? Then again, it was crazy...
I stretched before throwing off the covers, and standing. I found that I was in a silk white tunic with gold and silver lacing, which shocked me. Since when was I a king...? I guess this was Valhalla, then.
I walked over to the closet, noticing how one side of it appeared to be a changing room. I opened the other door, finding various outfit choices, all on the same type of high quality fit for kings and queens. I even found some armour, but I passed it off for now.
I quietly wondered how these were casual, but when I thought about it deeper, It was understandable, and I should respect it. This was most likely casual for them, and now that was my expectation, apparently.
I dressed myself in a dark green tunic, wrapping a gold belt around my waist, and I took the time to notice the fine quality of it. Glittering black jewels were studded into the gold stitched collar, and despite what many would think, it was rather comfortable. The boots were thin, black with gold, and little emeralds embedded into the sides.
Should I really be wearing this? I thought about it briefly, before reminding myself for the umpteenth time they had insisted...
After taking a drink, I looked to the doors, swallowing a lump in my throat.
Then, I pushed them open.
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