Gah! What am I doing posting another story?! Stupid Oliver, you don't have time to do another story...
Well I couldn't help it, so new HTTYD story everyone! Hurray! *fanfare plays in background*
Okay, for those who've not read it, some elements of this may be taken from my story "To Change a State of Mind" (The name of Astrid's Nadder for instance, yeah I've decided to ignore cannon and just use the name I made up instead). So you can read it first...if you really want to...it's only 7 chapters! But if you don't that's fine.
Also if you haven't watched Gift of the Night Fury, yeah SPOILAGE HERE!
Also #2, if you're wondering about the HTTYD show that's coming on Cartoon Network, yeah that doesn't apply to this story.
*sigh* Look I'm not gonna promise frequent updates, cause, let's face it I don't update quickly. And with my second year of college about to start (not to mention the fact that i'm trying to raise money to go to Africa, and my bible study sessions, and my homework), yeah, don't expect anything quickly.
-donthurtmepleaseImonlyaninet eenyearoldgirlImnotbatmanguy scomeonIcantdoeverything!-
BUT I WILL UPDATE...eventually.
Anyway, if you can live with all that then let the adventure begin!
Disclaimer: Yeah, nothing's changed since I finished TCSM. I still don't own How To Train Your Dragon. But this time I do own the plot and any original characters. I've moved up in the world!
Snow, the cleanest, purest kind fell down onto the already covered forest floor. The tree trunks proudly stood as massive gray and brown columns, holding up one layer of white while growing out of another. The space in between was peacefully silent and barren, and anything green had long since been covered by nature's own white-out.
Life, however, did not cease its existence in the wintery landscape, though it was clinging desperately to what salvations the winter would mercifully hand out. A lynx prowled along the rocks, searching infinitely for a quarry that was either awake or asleep. The few birds that did not migrate sat on barren branches, singing soft notes of woe to the falling flakes of frost. A deer waded its way across the landscape, sniffing at branches, eating the softest of barks, and freezing at the noises that flittered through the echoic space.
He lifted his head gracefully, large antlers crowning its head in a show of his own grandeur and strength. The buck's muscles twitched underneath a thick hide, one that had seen and survived many of the North's harsh winters.
But even that could do nothing against the arrow that whizzed through the white barrier above, and could only feel as the weapon embedded itself into its side.
A strangled cry and soft footfalls of an animal trying to escape death followed, and red spotted the ground as the creature tried to escape the hidden predator, even if all its efforts would be futile. Within minutes, it lay dead on the ground, its blood draining into a patch of color, staining the snow's blank canvas.
A shadow trailed over its still form through the gaps in the trees, almost as dark as the creature that cast it.
The monstrosity swept over the land, wings beating and gliding along the wind currents. Atop its back sat the killer, clad in a thick long-sleeved fur shirt and matching coat, both of which fluttered endlessly against the chilled wind.
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III sat on the back of his Night Fury, gazing through a telescope, which he had recently made, at the fallen buck. His bow was slung over his back, the dark wood and strong string of it digging respectfully into both his front and back. A quiver of arrows like the one he had just released sat clipped onto the right of the leather saddle he was seated on.
A smirk played across his lips at the sight of the result of his hunting, and he tucked the eyeglass into a holder along his belt, "Yes! Oh Yeah! Did you see that, Bud? I got it!"
The dragon, Toothless, grumbled in amusement at his rider, gazing hungrily down at the animal and smelling the life that seeped from it.
If anyone were to ask Hiccup how he fared during Berk's winters, he would probably answer the same as all the other Vikings that resided on the island. It was only harsh only to those who weren't prepared, and it was only cold to those who paid attention to the temperature. The winters of the north were something both the boy and dragon were used to and something that wouldn't keep them from their daily routine.
It had been a year and a half since dragons had joined the ranks amongst the Berkians, since the both of them had defeated what had been named the Green Death, since both of them had respectfully lost their ability to move around the land freely without the help of their prosthesis.
That year and a half had been better than all the years before. That is, according to most of Berk. With the end of the war came the beginning of friendship, of early morning flights, of knowledge about dragons that even Fishlegs didn't know; it was without doubt the best thing that the villagers on the island could ever hope for.
Especially when it made hunting a whole lot easier.
Hiccup brought his hand forward to pat Toothless' back, knowing the angle Toothless wanted to take with every flex of the dragon's muscles, every slight angle of the smallest turns. Hiccup no longer had to analyze or search for signs anymore when trying to figure out which way the Night Fury wanted to go, it was just instinct now.
"Alright, let's get down there and bring it back home. What do you say Toothless? I promise to let you have a leg or two," the dragon's fin-like ears perked up instantly, and let out an enthusiastic roar at the offer.
Hiccup barely had time to grab onto the front of the saddle as the Night Fury made a steep dive for the ground, "Whoa!"
Toothless came at the forest floor fast, his wingtips missing the snow covered trees by inches, and landed on the ground gracefully. Or as gracefully as a dragon could when bounding around with excitement. Although Hiccup was used to the dragon's enthusiastic nature, he wasn't exactly pleased to be jostled around so roughly. With quick expertise, he extracted his prosthetic leg from its modified stirrup and hopped off Toothless, sinking a foot into the snow when doing so.
Toothless ran up excitedly to the fallen deer, sniffing what Hiccup guessed was a wonderful smell, and opened his jaws to take a bite out.
"Toothless, not now!" Hiccup ran as fast as his prosthetic would let him, leaving a mismatched pair of footprints behind him, and shoved the dragon's snout away from the kill. Toothless narrowed his eyes at his rider before snorting in Hiccup's direction, the warm breath from his nostrils steaming in the cold air.
"I'll give you some when we get back to Berk. Now stop with the snorting and everything, and let's just get the kill home," Hiccup sent a slightly disgusted glance at the blood, trying not to imagine how much it would stain his clothing, not to mention his saddle. Toothless, as intelligent as his species was, gave a roll of his eyes at his rider's disgust.
With only a little bit of struggling on the Viking's part, the slain buck was successfully secured to the back of the saddle in less than ten minutes, which Hiccup prided himself in for a few moments before taking off into the chilled winter sky.
Within seconds they were at their original altitude, and Hiccup let his dragon guide them. The wind rushing past was cold but soft as it ran its fingers across his face and through his hair. Taking a deep breath, the air smelt of salt from the sea, and chilled his lungs upon its entry. Toothless' dark scales and flowing blood gave off some heat, creating a temperature contrast between the two halves of his body. Hiccup's body shivered involuntarily, something he was accustomed to this time of the year.
Cold or not though, flying was something Hiccup could never live without, not since he had first flown with his best friend. And, although his flight position evolved from hanging on to dear life to the dragon's tail to being able to do miraculous flips and tricks on and off his best friend's back, the thrill of the flights was just as strong as their first.
If you asked around in Berk, the villagers wouldn't say that Hiccup and Toothless were best friends, but more like brothers. They were two parts of one soul, where one could not exist without the other. Hiccup's father and the Chief of Berk, Stoick, wouldn't disagree. Neither would his friends Fishlegs, Ruffnutt, Tuffnutt, and Snotlout. And especially not…
A loud roar and a rush of air flying past the two caused Hiccup to jump and accidentally move Toothless' tailfin into a different position. Toothless let out a roar of surprise as he suddenly took a ninety degree angle to the right and Hiccup felt the familiar sensation of his body almost sliding off the dragon and into a free-fall.
"Whoa!" he waved his arms frantically, trying to counteract the force of gravity, before grabbing the saddle to pull himself back up.
Toothless glared back at his rider and growled as Hiccup positioned himself back into a balanced state, "Hey, don't look at me like that!"
Toothless snorted, but the glare didn't let up.
"It wasn't me! Well, ok it was me, but it wasn't my fault, it was…"
"Having a little trouble there, huh, Hiccup?" the russet haired boy looked to his left and found Astrid Hofferson sitting atop her Nadder, Cress, giving him the most innocent smile he'd ever seen her make. It was too innocent.
He smirked at her, "Oh I'm sorry Astrid, I didn't see you there! You see, this annoying wind came out of nowhere and decided to push Toothless off course. And, you know, made me almost fall to my death and all!" He patted Toothless' head while the dragon nodded for emphasis.
"Oh please, like you would ever fall," Astrid tried to look unamused, but failed to hide the small smile that forced its way out onto her face. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the boy's hunting quarry strapped behind him though, "Hiccup, is that…?"
"A deer, yes it is. Can you believe it?" Hiccup said with a smug smile.
"I'm working on that part. How'd you find it, I haven't seen anything bigger than a rabbit for at least two months."
He shrugged, "Beats me, we were flying over the coast and Toothless caught the scent."
"Lucky you, I haven't caught anything except a few birds and a squirrel that didn't want to hibernate."
Hiccup gave an understanding nod at that, it'd been a problem for Berk this year. For some reason the hunting parties had been coming back with less and less game to feed the village. They'd sent everyone out, from the best hunters and trackers to the women who usually didn't partake in the act, to scout for more food to keep the village up and alive until the middle of spring set in and the ice melted. Whether it was the unforgiving winter or the accusation of overhunting- something everyone knew was true but never mentioned- the village was getting to one of the lowest amount of food supplies they've had in a while.
Some people believed it was because of the immense number dragons they now had to feed.
Hiccup looked over at Astrid's blue and yellow Nadder, Cress, and then back to his own dragon. Even if they were the reason, Hiccup believed the Berkians would never give up their newfound friends for something as simple as food.
"Hiccup," he blinked, coming out of his daze and turning to the direction the voice came from, "You okay over there?"
He smiled in reassurance to Astrid, who was giving him suspicious looks, "I'm fine. So, my dear, what are you doing up here anyway?"
Astrid, trying to ignore the fluttering feeling that came from the way the boy addressed her, sat up straighter as she remembered her reason for seeking out the boy, "I almost forgot, Gobber found me while I was hunting. He wanted me to remind you to get back early for the meeting."
Hiccup's eyes went as wide a saucers, and he looked off towards his home in horror, cursing softly into the wind, "Oh gods! The meeting with the Elders! What time is it?"
"Um, almost midday I'd say," she saw him relax slightly at the news, his body becoming less tense against the wind.
Hiccup ran a hand through his windblown hair, muttering anxiously under his breath, "O-okay, well that gives me at least a little bit of time to get ready."
Astrid gave the boy an encouraging smile; she knew he had a right to be nervous about things like this, now that his dad had been giving more and more thought to Hiccup becoming his successor. And with a decision like that came training, which meant sitting in on meetings, volunteering ideas to better the village, and other important things that dealt with not just the wellbeing of dragons but with every man, woman, and child in the community as well. Although, that wasn't the part he was nervous about. No, the thing that put so much pressure on him was the fact that, even if Stoick saw him fit to lead after the burly man's death, that didn't mean the Council of Elders did. To even get a shot at the title of Chief, he had to prove himself worthy.
And defeating a giant, enraged dragon, an act that ended a long war between species, only got him so close to his future position.
Astrid nudged Cress closer to Toothless with her foot, to the point where their wings brushed as they flew.
"Come on, why don't we go bring our kills to the adults to skin and I'll walk you to the Great Hall?"
Astrid had spoken the sentence in a calm voice, and in return received a gentle smile of agreement from the boy. However, she could still see the nervousness he tried to hide away inside. The knowledge caused the blonde girl to sigh. There wasn't much she could do to take away such stress, but she would stand by and support him no matter what.
"Hey, I'm gonna come over," Astrid shouted over the wind, starting to untangle herself from Cress' saddle. Astrid gathered her wits, bringing Cress just a little closer to Toothless. She eyed the small space between Hiccup and the deer secured behind him. The blonde patted Cress and gave her orders to go back home. Then she shakily stood, readjusting her feet so she could balance against the harsh winds. She set her eyes on Hiccup and crouched.
Hiccup gave her a skeptical look, "What? At this speed? Are you sure you can…"
She jumped across the space and Hiccup threw his hand out to latch on to hers. She scrambled against Toothless' side for a minute before finding a foothold on a part of the saddle. Pulling herself up with ease, she immediately encircled his waist with her arms and snuggled her head into his back.
She felt his chest vibrate as he gave a soft laugh, "Of course you can. Don't know why I asked."
She chuckled, "Actually I wasn't sure for a second, but I knew you would catch me. It's probably nothing compared to the crazy stunts you two do."
"Yeah, well you can only fall so many times before you figure out how to fly," he tilted his head back so he could place a kiss on her own. Astrid giggled at his antics and gave his arm a light slap.
Both of their stomachs suddenly lifted into their throats as Toothless took a steep dive. They were coming up on Berk soon, so Astrid settled herself closer to her boyfriend, relishing the warmth he provided. If she had to describe their relationship in one word to anybody it would be blissful. It started out shy and timid, especially since neither one really dated before. Nobody ever considered Hiccup to be a good candidate in the game of love, so Astrid knew he didn't have much luck in that field. But she was sure she surprised him when she said the same.
"B-But you're so pretty and awesome, how in the world have you been single all this time?" he asked when they talked about it.
Astrid shrugged, "It just was something I was never interested in. You know, with training and all, it just slipped my mind. I didn't think it was something I needed or would enjoy. So whenever some guy came up asking me if I wanted to 'work out' with them, I turned them down. When I went off to battle with you I realized that if I was going to date anybody it would be you."
He had tried to hide his delighted smile with a smirk, but failed miserably. "So does this mean that if I asked you to 'work out' with me you'd say yes?" Hiccup's voice was hopeful as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.
A laugh bubbled up from within her, "You're so goofy."
They landed easily on Berk's soil, stopping at the butchers to trade the deer in for skinning (or course after Toothless had taken a huge bite out of the thing). The owner was so pleased with what Hiccup presented that she gave the two teens a couple of slices of almond cake she made in congratulations. They left and made the trek to Gobber's blacksmith shop after discussing payment with the butcher.
Hiccup intertwined their fingers, containing what little heat their appendages gave off as they entered the shop, "Okay I just have to put Toothless' saddle back up and then we can head off to the Hall.
They both took off their cloaks as they entered the shop, the heat from the fires made the temperature comfortable enough to not stay bundled up the whole time. Hiccup held the door open for his best friend. Astrid moved to the side as the large dragon bounded in, happy to be near his two favorite humans. As his rider fidgeted with the saddle straps, Astrid made her way around the shop, glancing at some of Hiccup's unfinished projects that lay scattered around the building. She caught a glimpse of one of Toothless' tailfins on a table in the corner and went to investigate it.
After scrutinizing it, she called out, "Hey Hiccup, why is this tailfin here?"
"What tailfin?" he moved away from Toothless slightly to peer over in my direction, "Oh, you remember that fin I made for toothless last Snoggletog? The one that would let him fly on his own?"
Toothless snorted at the mention of the dreadful contraption, but Astrid just nodded.
"Well after somebody-," he looked accusingly at Toothless, who was looking anywhere but at his rider, "-decided to destroy it, I made another one. You know, just in case something happens to me or if at some time I need to fly him without having to change his direction."
He sensed the death glare his Night Fury was giving him and gave the dragon a reassuring scratch along his neck, "Like I said, it's just a precaution."
He turned back to the saddle and with a grunt lifted the contraption off. Readjusting it in his arms, he brought it to the other side of the shop, muscles shifting underneath the fabric of his shirt. Astrid's eyes sat unwavering on his form, content with watching him. Sometimes she couldn't believe they were actually dating. Some days she'd wake up and have to check on Cress just to make sure her life wasn't a dream. She loved that her life wasn't just all about competition now. She loved that she could soar up in the sky without a care in the world. She loved the peace time the village had plunged into. She loved having someone to hold onto when she wasn't feeling her best. She loved hidden kisses and sweet whispers. Whatever this new life was, it couldn't be hers. And yet there she was, with the proof standing right in front of her.
"Astrid? Um hey, As-trid!" She blinked, coming back to the present to see Hiccup waving his hand in front of her line of sight. She batted it away gently, watching him as he chuckled, "You were doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Staring at me with that…far-off look you always get. Oh wait, let me guess, the Amazing Astrid just can't get enough of me, huh? Did you notice I've been working out?" He struck a pose that reminded her of Snotlout when he was pinning for girls at the village square. She giggled, but, truth be told, she had noticed. He gained a decent amount of muscle from the past two years or so, especially with the amount of time spent doing things that involved dragons as well as his job as a blacksmith, both jobs requiring a lot of heavy lifting. . Sure he was a long way from Snotlout and Fishlegs, with a muscle tone more like Tuffnutts than anybody's, but anything else just wouldn't be…Hiccup.
They'd both even had a few good sparing lessons, on her insistence. He'd been working hard on it too. She had deemed him fair in archery and swordplay. He was at least able to hold his own for a good while, and though she was sure he wouldn't use it to kill anybody, maiming was just as good. As long as he stayed safe long enough for her to find and back him up.
"Yes I've noticed. But maybe you haven't since I was there every time to help you. By the way, you're getting better and better every time we go practice."
Hiccup shrugged, "Well, I have an awesome teacher."
Her gaze softened at the words, blue irises sparkling at the compliment. People around Berk had always given her words of praise, but they were all for her fighting skills, her defense tactics, her ability to hit any target she needed to with perfect accuracy. She'd all but ignored such things now. She'd put on a smile and say her thanks out of politeness, but the words of affirmation didn't give her the same sense of pride as they used to. But when Hiccup said those kind words, when he gave her that amazed smile, that look of awe at what she's done, she felt happy; and usually those words weren't even about her fighting ability, but soft, simple claims like how pretty she looked that day or how much she made him smile. It was refreshing as well as flattering.
She stepped closer to him, "A teacher's only good if the student learns."
She gave him a soft kiss, her arms crawling over his shoulders and around his neck. Her fingers clung to the warmth of his skin, drawing her even closer. Her brain fuzzed in and out of reality as she felt one of his hands cup her cheek and the other go into her hair.
Kiss like this were sometimes rare for the two, depending on how many people were around or how busy they were, but, whenever they did happen, it took a long while before Astrid's skin stopped tingling.
They broke apart, and Astrid immediately felt the winter chill drift back across her skin.
Hiccup let out a long breath, a lazy smile on his face, "Wow, anymore of that and I won't want to go to the meeting."
"Like that's a hard decision anyway," she gave him one last kiss on the cheek, "speaking of which, you should probably get to the Great Hall."
"Okay," he offered up his arm to her, "Walk with me?"
Astrid nodded and placed her wrapped her own arm around his.
H~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~T~~~~~~Y~~~~~~D
The Great Hall was cleared out as Hiccup and Astrid walked in. All the wooden tables the villagers dined on were cast off to the side of the building, and in the middle now stood a great, circular table with enough chairs to seat around fifteen.
Hiccup stared at the largest chair, his father's, and felt a sense of dread come upon him. He didn't want to let his dad down again, he'd done it too many times already.
He felt a hand grip his bicep, "Hey, you okay?"
The look Astrid gave him was one of concern, and he felt a sense of guilt come upon him at the fact that he was making her worry so much. As a chief-to-be, he should be able to handle situations without causing uneasiness to the village. Gosh, he wasn't even the chief yet and he was already screwing up at the job.
"I'm fine," his voice came out sharper than he meant it to be, and Hiccup pretended not to see the shocked expression appear on his girlfriend's face at his tone.
The thing about Astrid was, she could always see through whatever veil he tried to put up. After her initial shock at his harsh tone, she set her expression to match his, "Well excuse me for being concerned, Hiccup. I'm only trying to help; you just seem so stressed about this."
He tried to keep up a stoic façade to keep her off track, but the longer she held a glare to his face, the quicker his shoulders slumped in defeat.
He gave a heavy sigh and apologized to her, "Sorry, Astrid. It's just-" he looked to the Elders who were already flocking around the table, taking in hushed voices about things hidden from his ears, "I can't stain the name of Haddock any more than I already have. I have to get this right not for the sake of my reputation, but for my dad's as well."
Astrid's expression softened at his words, "Hiccup…you haven't stained anything. You-"
"Have already made too many mishaps in my lifetime as a Viking. One good decision can't erase a hundred wrong ones, Astrid, and the Elders know that."
She moved to stand in front of him, and placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing her thumb back and for in a soothing manner, "But the one good decision you made was so lifechanging, it outweighed all the bad ones, Hiccup."
They glanced at the other adults as Stoick and Gobber entered the Hall, walking in a way that seemed to announce the beginning of the meeting. As the council moved to take their designated seats Astrid gave Hiccup a tight hug, giving him all the support she could before she was forced to leave.
"Don't stress too much, everything will sort itself out," she gave his cheek a soft kiss and his hand a squeeze before escorting herself out of the building.
Having his girlfriend leave his side was suddenly comparable to a drowning man losing the driftwood that helped him stay afloat. Hiccup stood at the side, analyzing the now filled table. Stoick caught his eye as he gave his son an encouraging nod, motion for Hiccup to stand behind his chair for the meeting.
Hiccup smiled, glad his father was at least on his side. He took a deep breath to steel himself and walked over to where Stoick indicated. He could feel the eyes of the Elders on him, and busied himself by studying the woodwork of the table they sat around.
Stoick didn't seem to notice the uneasiness his son was feeling as his voice boomed around the Great Hall, "Well, I see that we're all here. Let's get down to business."
Hiccup smiled at his Dad's straight-forwardness as he listened quietly to the meeting.
"First and foremost, as it were, we need to figure out how to solve our food problem. Winter is just beginning, and it's only gonna get worse from here on out. We need more food. How are the search parties going around the island?"
Gleb Haugen, a burly yet kind man who helped make most of the ships used by the village, stood out of his chair to address the question, "My search party went throughout the north and west side of the island. We stayed out there for a whole week, and the only thing we saw fit for eating were some hares and the bark on the trees. There is nothin', Stoick. We've checked everywhere, but nothin'."
Hiccup's eyes narrowed at the information. This wasn't good at all.
Stoick seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he addressed the man sitting next to Gleb, "And the east and south?"
"Same luck here, only the creek stopped us halfway. The ice is too thin to cross, and who knows if there's anythin' underneath. I say one more search party thata way."
Gobber spoke up from the side, "Aye, we could do that. But it'd take a week to even get to the creek, then how long after? What we need is food for right now, until we can gather a party and go out there."
"So what?" said a man near Hiccup in a defiant tone, "The livestock won't hold forever so what do you suggest? Fish? It's winter ya daft hog-knocker, there's barely anythin' left in the ocean!"
Gobber waved his hammer prosthetic flippantly at the other man, "Ah, put a sock in it Torsten ya old wet blanket."
Torsten crossed his muscled arms in front of his chest, "And even if we do, we're sending almost everyone out daily to catch the small beasties, nobody's gonna want ta go out over the freezing ocean to look for fish that aren't there."
"I will," The small argument ceased as the Elders looked at Hiccup. The boy froze now that he was in the spotlight, looking to his father and Gobber uncertainly, "I could lead a hunting party out to the south side of the sea. Me, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins can go."
Torsten scoffed, "Oh yes, let Hiccup go. Watch him come back soaking wet and empty handed."
There was scattered laughter from him and five others around the table, and Hiccup didn't know whether to feel belittled or angry by the insult.
Stoick pointed his finger threateningly at the brunette man, "I would watch your tongue Torsten. My boy saved all our lives and defeated a creature even you wouldn't dare challenge alone."
"Beginner's luck is what that was. Have you not forgotten what all he's done before that? All the mishaps you had to clean up, Chief? And may I suggest the fact that we've run out of food is because of all the extra bellies we have to fill? These dragons are using up supplies too fast to keep up with. And who's fault is that? Well, we all know the answer."
Something about Torsten stirred in Hiccup's memory. Something Astrid said about an angry mob that appeared outside his house when he was unconscious after the defeat of the Green Death. He figured that this man was one of few who still hadn't accepted the abrupt change of treatment towards dragons. It was kind of sad for Hiccup to think about. Even after almost two years, the man was still stuck on old traditions.
The thought of this steeled a resolve in Hiccup that hadn't stirred since his victory at the Nest. The need to be accepted, to be placed on the same level as the Vikings that surrounded him. The need to prove himself.
Hiccup stepped forward, out from behind his father's chair, and placed his hands on the table. He raked his eyes across the table as the Elders waited for his response.
Hiccup's gaze stopped as he leveled his eyes with his accuser, "Mr. Torsten me and the others will go out there and bring back something to eat. It may be a lot or it may be a little, but I assure you we will find something."
Torsten's expressions didn't change and Hiccup held back a bleak sigh, "I don't know what I can do to change your views Sir, but if the fact that dragons coexist with us is the cause of this food shortage, then there's nothing we can do about it now. Half of our kills come from the aid of dragons, they're the reason we're still surviving.
We will go out and we will bring back food. That you can be sure of."
There was silence around the council as they contemplated the notion. Stoick was the first to break it, "Son, are you sure?"
"He is sure," the frail voice of Nordis wafted across the air. Hiccup turned towards her and saw her give a gentle smile at him, "It will serve as a good exercise for him. He who wants to lead a village first must learn to lead himself. If he believes he can do this, then he can."
Hiccup's head bowed slightly under the support given to him, and smiled back at the old woman, "Thank you Elder Nordis."
Stoick watched the exchange silently, before standing up," Alright, if Elder Nordis agrees, I agree. All in favor of letting Hiccup bring out a party on the sea? Say Aye."
There were multiple 'aye's that came from the table. Hiccup noticed that, while he was shaking his head, Torston also agreed. He guessed the man just wanted a chance at food, that or he wanted to see how much the boy failed at his quest.
It was official; Hiccup was taking a step further into becoming Chief, even if it was a simple fishing trip.
Hiccup didn't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but it was still his first step.
If only he had looked before he walked.
Woohoo! Let's get this par-tay started!
Well, I'm gonna go hunker down and watch some Kim Possible (DON'T JUDGE ME!) before Hurricane Isaac comes and kills the power. See ya guys!
...Mmmmm, and now I want some almond cake too...
~Oliver