Shingeki no Dragon
The People of Berk has always been strong. In what would be known by history as the War of the Red Death, they had survived generations of attacks by seemingly cruel dragons, killing them as they had to when attacked. To them, it was an endless cycle of fighting for survival, never knowing which home they'd find no more than a patch of scorched earth, never knowing who's body they'd find in the morning light. But this was not the only way. After one young man, no more than a boy, was able to become the bridge between the worlds of Dragon and Men, training and befriending supposedly the most dangerous of them all, the mythical and feared Night Fury. But this was not without consequence, after some hardship, the people of Berk were able to accept Dragon's into their lives after their tyrannical Queen, the Red Death who had forced the dragons to attack was slain by Hiccup Haddock, the first Dragon Rider.
After much turmoil, the people of Berk were able to find peace, even after Chief Stoick the Vast sacrificed himself to save his son, who would eventually bring his father's killer to justice; the egomaniacal, dragon enslaving warlord Drago. And stop him, he did. Eventually, Hiccup Haddock Horrendous III, accepted the new title of Chief.
Under his guidance and leadership, Berk has prospered, growing and growing to the size of a metropolis. However, even with this light growing stronger everyday under the First Dragon Rider's wise and caring hand, there are still major threats from the Dragon Hunters who now stand aside a shrouded opposing south-western nation known as Titania. Little is known of Titania, only its name and its hatred for Vikings and Dragons. As soon as one leaves the safety of Berk's allied waters, stretching around such lands as Bezerker's Island and The Island Defenders of the Wing, the only protection you have are the blades in your hand, the armour on your chest and a prayer to the Gods in your throat.
As such, civilians don't tend to leave them. But there is one group who are always willing to fight outside the safety of the shores of Berk for its safety. Fighters. Defenders. Soldiers.
The Wings of Freedom.
They are the eyes, ears, and spearheads of the army of Berk; Berk's torch in the darkness.
They are one of three branches of Berk's military. The others being the Shields of Heimdall, the walls, battlements and armour of Berk; The Guardians of the Three Walls of Berk. Then came the Scales of Forseti, the keepers of peace, truth and justice inside the walls; The law bringers of society and bane of criminals that hide like rats throughout the walls. All of these filled with soldiers from throughout the lands of the walls and beyond, each volunteering for the sake of all in Berk. They are trained for three years in camps throughout the city and it's outlying districts.
Each and every solider is trained in brutal conditions, by both their superiors, the unforgiving programmes designed by the late Drillmaster Belch and the elements themselves as they trained their skills and knowledge that they may survive outside of the Walls. They begin their gruelling training to in the sparring rings, learning the ancient art of the Dual Axe, enough to rival the famed Masked Swordsmen of the East and even defeat the infamous Barbarians of the Northern Tundras in tournament. Once they have become one with the Axes, they are granted the option of training in another weapon, yet many remained steadfast with their simple, yet ruthlessly effective axes as if they were extensions of their own body.
However, once they have fully decided on their weapon, they are taught to thrive and excel, not on the ground, nor yet on the back of a dragon, but through the usage of Dragon Fire Mobility Gear (Or just Dragon Fire Gear when mentioned in passing by most); A new mechanism designed to refine the possibilities of human agility through waist mounted suspension cables and pressurised Hideous Zipback Gas; And when mastered by the cadets, it transforms them into what to a bystander would see nought else but the hawks of the skies, bats of the caves or even dragons of the mountains. Throughout all of this time, they learn of the history, capacities and unique features of all known dragons eventually passing exams designed by the First Head of the Learning Halls, High Professor Ingerman himself.
Then, and only then may they learn to ride a dragon. This is arguably the most difficult part of their training as they must find not only a mount, but a strongest ally on the battlefield and an even stronger ally still off of it. For a great many, this is simpler as they have already grown a bond with a hatched dragon over the years, even if they haven't yet been taught to fly. However, for a great many more, they must venture outside the safety of the walls, and have even been known to venture out of Berk's waters, to find their draconic counterpart. It is a standard that there are two compulsory weeks in cadets must search for dragons, if they find one within that time before the deadline, they may take the time off as paid authorised leave. However, if they exceed that time, they must have either already gotten consent and confirmation from the higher ups at the beginning (IE Due to travel time and distance) or they must give notice as soon as they can.
After the bond between a dragon and a rider has been established, they enter one of the three flight schools as each Military Unit demands varying techniques and Skills. Foresti Flight School is led by Flightmaster Jorgenson, Heimdall Flight School by Flightmaster Hofferman and the Freedom Flight school is now led by Flightmaster Smith after Flightmaster Haddock was granted the title Chief. Whilst Flightmasters Hofferman and Jorgenson both still serve the Military, they tend not to go on exhibitions with Flightmaster Smith as their duty is to protecting the people of Berk, first and foremost.
This year, the 104th Berkian Cadet Corps have all been certified in all areas to become soldiers, and after an attempted attack on the western settlements of Berk, and as such, their training grounds, most who initially sought to guard the walls and the peace of Berk when they enlisted, felt a burning fire within themselves, that roared the collective rage of the Vikings to strike back against those who had dared to attack their home. This is their story.
