Hello again. I'd like to first start off by saying thank you to everyone for the tremendous support for this project. I'm going to do my very best to make this story enjoyable. Next, to answer a few questions asked. The title of this story, The Riders and the Outcasts, will reflect the Berk riders as well as Hiccup while the Outcasts are the Vikings of the Isle of Outcast and to an extent, Hiccup as well. Another question to answer is that the intimacy between Hiccup and Toothless will be more along the lines of a growing relationship with struggles of its own like jealously and playfulness. Their relationship will not be sexually based and will focus more on the emotional and personal aspect of their bond. And the final question to be answered to that these chapters will flip back and forth between the Berk riders and Hiccup and Toothless. I will post which side will be played out for the next chapter .If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask. This chapter spans two weeks as Berk struggles to deal with not only the loss of Hiccup from their daily lives, but dealing with accepting their once enemies. We'll see bonds, challenges and scuffles between friends as they try to move forward and find a new place for themselves. The next chapter to be posted in 6-7 days and will focus on Hiccup and Toothless in their new roles on their island as well as coming to terms with the first signs of couples' quarrels. Posting this chapter 9-29-2014. Without further ado, please enjoy and thank you once again.

"So that's your plan, train dragons…?" Ruffnut started as she placed her hands to her hips.

"Here, where we used to kill them?" Tuffnut ended scratching his head.

"Right. Because we don't do that anymore." Hustling to get everything together, Gustav placed a small elevated wooden crate on the ground for him to stand on to better get everyone's attention with. "That's why it's available."

"So the chief just gave us the arena?" Aarne combed his bangs back to get a full perspective of the area as if he had never been there before. It seemed like only yesterday he was within these very quarters, battling his way through dragons to not only fulfill his duty as a Viking, but to woo the girl of his dreams.

"Not really…there is a catch," Gustav admitted as he rubbed his left hand over his right forearm. It took some time for him to organize himself, but after a few seconds of careful breathing and holding the Dragon Manual under his arm he turned to the elder Viking teens with a new sense of confidence and determination. Standing on top of the turned over wooden case, he cleared his throat, looked forward to the recruits before him and began his sermon.

"My fellow Berkians, for generations, it's been Viking against dragon. Our ancestors dedicated their lives to the hunting, killing and trapping dragons of various sizes, classes and aspects. The battles were furious and brutal on both ends of the fight, with many losing their lives, families and homes. As of a week ago, that tradition has ended along with the war we've all grown from thanks to the first Dragon Rider: Hiccup, and her partner, Toothless."

The teens looked to Gustav with their full attention. Part of it was due to his demeanor and his way of speaking, but mostly because it was about Hiccup, the one person everyone thought was never going to amount to much of anything in their society. Looking back on it now, they could all see just how wrong they had been for underestimating her as well as for taking her kindness and selflessness for granted. It felt like they were stuck in a dream almost. How could the most docile Viking on Berk, with no desire to fight or attack be able to tame, train and later ride the most feared dragon of all, the Night Fury? They listened carefully as Gustav finished his speech and drank in his every word.

"For them, it took time, patience, understanding and an open mind on both parts to find a way to work together and pull forward as a team. Hiccup had a dream, a dream where Viking and dragon could one day live in peace with each other. We have only a few days to prove to the chief and everyone on Berk that that dream can come true, or they'll be sent away for good. I personally don't want for that to happen, not when we've got a shot to make things right. It's gonna be a bumpy start, but I'm sure if we're all willing to pull together as dragon and Viking, we can prove to Hiccup that Berk can change so that she and Toothless may one day come home. Any questions?" He waited for a response. A part of him was expecting for them to just turn away and not even give it a chance.

The teenaged Vikings all looked over to one another. They knew for Gustav to ask for something of them all meant that it was important to him and they couldn't blame him for that because Hiccup coming home was important. She was a key component in Berk's everyday cycle and without her, the balance of their world was thrown out of order. Hiccup needed her space right now, but if learning to accept and living with dragons showed her she still had a place in their world, they'd train a million dragons to prove to her and the village it could be done.

"Where do we start?" Aarne nodded as everyone looked to their new instructor.

A warm smile grew on Gustav's face. "Thanks, guys…"

Far off the beaten path of ocean currents, Sharpshot eagerly raced back to the once prison island of a warlord to the now peaceful domain of a young queen. If he wasn't on such important duties, he would most likely be bragging to you about how he knew and befriended her before her ruling, but alas work must be done. He passed through the cloudy misted mazes that only a dragon could navigate and exited on the side to a beautiful volcanic island bathed in the morning sunshine. At this time of day, the queen was most likely within the dew filled forests, doing her part to restore balance to her people. Here, her citizens treat her with the utmost respect and authority, but you won't hear her demanding for her title, she prefers to be their friend before sovereign.

Using his nose and the familiar scent of sweet grass and freshly tilled soil, he maneuvered gracefully around the tall treetops of the evergreen until the smell was so concentrated he knew exactly where she was. Lowering himself down to the earth, he walked towards her. Seated on a small boulder, she liberally applied soothing ointment onto a Zippleback's cuts, reminders of a grudge bestowed upon their breed for treachery ten years past and bowed his head to her graces.

The cooled shaded area was filled with dragons of all shapes and sizes, they liked to keep close to her and watch while she performed her duties as heiress with patience and kindness. Turning her head, the young queen smiled to Sharpshot as he lifted his paw with the parchment towards her. Once she finished dressing the Zippleback's wounds, she gave the duel-headed dragon a light pat to which they walked off thankful that their scars would soon heal.

"What have we here?" she asked aloud kneeling to his level as he curled lovingly onto her lap while she undid the binds on the letter and slowly read its message:

To the Queen of Dragon Island,

It's good to hear you're safe and well. Things on Berk haven't really been the same without you, but we are trying to move toward as best we can. The chief's been a bit under the weather and hasn't come out of his house for days and everyone's been walking around like the living dead. Gobber's been teaching me every day and I finally balanced my first sword on my own, which was pretty cool. Gothi and Etch have been spending lots of time outside since the skies are cloudy, I think they both prefer the weather since it's not so bright for them. Fanghook and I have also been riding around the island and spending most of our free time with the dragons at the arena, I think you'd really like them. Asides from the update, I was wondering if you could share with me some words of wisdom.

For starters, today the arena dragons showed interest in riding and getting to know people. I'd really like for that to happen and see others walking side by side with them like Gobber, Gothi and I do with Bones, Etch and Fanghook. By the way, they missed you too! I don't really know where to get started, but I'm not going to give up without trying!

Was it this difficult when you and Toothless started off and do you have any tips or advice on how to make the transition a bit smoother?

I wish you the best and hope for your return one day.

Your friend and student, Gustav Larson.

A beam laced the young matriarch's face as she massaged her fingertips on Sharpshot's nape. She had mixed feelings for the message. It saddened her to learn that the chief of the Hooligan tribe, Stoick the Vast, was taking the separation so profoundly, and yet a part of her knew it was for the best. It honored her to hear that Gustav was taking the first steps to make changes and she was confident he'd make it happen. It warmed her heart, truly, to imagine her once homeland filled with dragons and Vikings coexisting harmoniously. It would be a dream come true…

A Night Fury walked up to her, seeing the glow in his queen's eyes. "Some good news?"

"Gustav and the arena dragons want to take the first steps," she said as her Night Fury brushed his cheek onto hers. They both knew it would take a group effort to complete such a task and looked over to one another, brushing their noses together knowing their world was slowly going through some changes.

Slowly, Gustav lead the adult Nightmare out of his pen and with only his left hand to his snout, maneuvered him towards the center of the ring. The teens watched in amazement as he effortlessly brought out the dragon. They had never seen a Nightmare so calm, not since Hiccup was in the ring with him that is. He didn't appear so menacing now with Gustav having him approach but that didn't stop Snotlout from growing worried as he bent down to a spear head, most likely the one Hiccup had broken off when she went wild and started attacking everyone.

Noticing this, Aarne firmly slapped his forearm with the back of his hand. "Uh-uh," he let out, shaking his head before turning their attention back to the young dragon rider who made a beeline straight for Snotlout.

Reaching out for Snotlout's hand, Gustav pulled it towards the Nightmare, to which he greatly resisted by pulling his hand back. "Wait, what are you…!?"

"Wait, you wanna give Snotlout the dragon that nearly killed Hiccup?" Aarne asked, pulling his bangs to the side before they fell back in place.

This comment got the twins excited as they eagerly hoped the answer was 'yes'. "Give it to him!" they cheered with wicked little smiles on their faces.

"It's okay, Snotlout," Gustav hushed him as well as the twins as he reached for his hand a second time. "It's okay."

This time, Snotlout didn't pull back and slowly allowed the younger boy to guide his open palm towards the Nightmare's snout, replacing their hands and finally having him place contact with the Stocker class dragon. The Nightmare let out a low humming drum from his belly as it traveled up to his snout, tickling the hand of the young Viking before him, causing him to chuckle.

Gustav could see that spark in Snotlout's eyes, it was the same kind of feeling he got when he and Fanghook first made their connection. He felt he had made a good pairing with them. Both were confident and intimidating to look at, but he knew Nightmares could bring out the best in others and hoped they'd do so. Satisfied with the first pairing, Gustav walked over to the next pen and continued the cycle.

"Where are you going?" Snotlout asked a bit unsure of himself now with Gustav gone.

"Don't worry, Snotlout. Talk to him," Gustav said as he opened the next cell wall, letting out the Gronckle. Slowly she advanced forward, allowing the small Viking to motion her towards a hefty blonde boy who was beginning to shriek nervously. "Don't panic, Fishlegs, just breath," Gustav told him as he took hold of his sweaty hand and placed it onto the Gronckle's blunted snout, feeling the warm puffs of breath coming from its nostrils.

So many question began to flood Fishlegs' mind and he allowed his curiosity to overcome his nerves. He smiled and slowly rubbed his hand place on the Gronckle's snout back and forth, causing a hind leg to twitch excitingly. "Hey there, big guy, I'm Fishlegs."

The Gronckle shot him an odd look that obviously went unnoticed to the star struck lad. "Say what now?" She could already tell this was going to be a bumpy ride for the two of them.

A warm smile spread over the young dragon rider's face. Fishlegs' was very intuitive as well as a bit sensitive, something he found in the Gronckle over time. He knew they'd both gravitate nicely.

Next, he unleashed the Zippleback who looked over to their dragon comrades with Vikings of their own and the left head could feel the excitement bubbling in his guts. "This. Is. Happening~!" he sang out as he looked at his available options. There was the blonde boy who had beaten him and his brother with an empty bucket, looking at them closely as well as two other blondes, both with long hair dangling over their shoulders and mischief in their eyes. Tilting his head he watched as the male of the two shoved the female before she pushed his face and butted their horned helmets together. He could relate to the sibling bickering the two shared and laughter wildly.

"What is it this time…?" was all his brother could manage before the other lead their body out towards the Viking twins, his left headed brother grabbing the female by the collar and lifting her off the floor.

He tested her weight and reaction to him and could hear her voice bob up and down with every shake. Placing her back to the ground, he then reached out for the male who had been laughing at his sister's expense and repeated the routine. This one cackled excitingly with every shake, spilling out the phrase. "This is awesome and scary!" He personally like this one, a testament to his own heart with his wild personality while the latter was more of the restrained type.

"A wann 'is on'," the left said between his teeth.

The right let out a deep sigh and picked up the female slowly who stayed still while he did so.

Tuffnut chortled as his body spun light between the Zippleback's hold, pointing to Ruffnut. "You look pretty ridiculous right now…" was all he could utter before she kicked him in the shin and once again restarting their rough and tumble ways.

The other Vikings just stared as this all happened. A week ago, actions like that could have been registered as aggression but seeing it now, it looked more like rough housing.

Shrugging his shoulders Gustav let out the final dragon, the female Nadder. She walked out and shifted her vision to see one Viking left and her eyes dilated slightly. She remembered this human very well, he frightened her greatly and before Gustav could even place his hand onto her she quickly darted back into her pen.

"Ah, come on, girl. Aarne's not so bad. Trust me," Gustav said trying to persuade her from coming back out but she refused.

A part of Aarne knew he probably deserved that. He most likely wasn't the top pick for them considering his actions in the ring. He frightened everybody, even without intending to…

Fanghook marched into the pen with the Nadder and sat by her side. "Nervous?"

"Petrified. That boy…he frightens me," she managed.

He thought for a moment. His experience with Gustav came to mind from when they first met. He knew he had frightened him too. It took Gustav trusting him and showing him kindness that he wasn't a threat and with that an idea popped into his head. Racing out, he took the spear head from the floor near the other Nightmare and Viking and ran back in. After a few explanations, the Nadder lit the tipped end till it was nothing more than burnt black ash.

Exiting out together, the Nadder traced the dark tipped end of the staff onto the floor, creating a long continuous line, occasionally crossing sections till she finally stopped and stared at Aarne who looked to Gustav for an explanation.

"She wants to see if she can trust you. The idea is for you to step on the empty spaces, avoid touching the lines and made your way to the other side next to her," he explained the game.

Nodding his head, he stepped forward and keeping a close eye on the Nadder, maneuvered his way around the jigsawed artwork. It was a slow start as Aarne would judge his next movement by the Nadder's reaction. If she felt uncomfortable with him nearing, he'd take a path that lead him away and if she seemed to encourage his next step, he'd take it.

Watching this boy track his way to and fro within the clear spaces actually calmed her nerves. It was this invisible boundary that separated them and yet she knew for a fact that was just a fallacy in her mind. Upon truly gazing at his features from up close, he was a strikingly handsome young man if she did say so herself. His eyes were an icy shade of blue and kept true to that tundra like coldness. But deep inside, she could sense this warmth, clouded by sleets of insecurities and fears. It was like a calming blue stream amidst the barren wasteland of frost and it seemed it desperately wanted to thaw out the cold, ushering in calming waters and not piercing hail. Of all his features, she'd have to say his eyes were the most vulnerable and with that vulnerability, he became less of a threat to her.

After several back and forth steps, Aarne was finally able to stand side by side with the Nadder, who squeaked in a harmony as she lowered her head to him. Slowly lifting his open palm to her, he placed it onto the yellowish horn above her snout, giving it a slow pat. A smile formed on his lips. It felt different somehow, tickling his cheeks in the best way possible.

Gustav placed his hands onto his sides and gazed upon the teen Vikings with their own dragons. It was a small start in the right direction and hopefully things would get better from here. From above, he could hear quick little chattering and upon looking up could see Sharpshot once more, a new parcel at foot.

"Welcome back, pal! What have we got for today?" he asked raising his arm up for the Terror to perch himself before making his way to his shoulder where he presented Gustav with the new message:

To Gustav Larson,

I'm glad to hear that everyone is attempting to move forward and I do wish everyone the best.

When training Toothless, I first had to get his attention, which wasn't so hard considering he followed me after I shot him down. Then I needed to earn his trust and that came with giving him his flight back and friendship. I'm still learning so much about him and others –even a bit about myself- but I'd be more than happy to share with you the knowledge I've gained.

Trainer Tip #1: Trust is key. It's important to first establish a trust with your dragon. An open palm and calm demeanor usually works well. An excellent soother for most dragons is sweet grass, aka Dragon nip.

Trainer Tip #2: Feeding time is bonding time. Sharing meals with your dragon builds a deep connection. Most dragons love to eat fish. Be sure to avoid eels.

Trainer Tip #3: Outlet. Managing your dragon's energy is vital. Find time for both activates as well as rest. Too much stimuli can drain a dragon's energy while not enough can result in stubborn and defiant behavior. Always allow your dragon some time for relaxation after activates to boost energy. Too much rest can result in laziness. Remember to find the right balance for you and your dragon.

I'm looking forward to hearing your results, I believe in you and good luck.

Your friend and mentor, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III

Reading aloud her advice, Gustav now knew exactly what to do and turned to the recruits with their new dragons. "Who's up for a little fishing trip?"

"Gather around! Come on one and all!" Gobber announced to the Vikings slowly pacing around the plaza aimlessly before a small crowd formed around him. Behind him were many of the weapons he had once used to kill, maim and hunt dragons with. Now with the war over and peace settled on Berk, they weren't so much needed for that anymore. With a cart filled to the brim with axes, swords and shields, Gobber prepared himself for the sales pitch of a lifetime. "You may think these dragon killing weapons have no more use, but think again!" he turned over to the cart and grabbed the first weapon he could find. "This long sword is now a lovely butter knife."

He demonstrated by having Bones lightly toast a slice of bread before using the sword to slice a piece of butter from its tray, managing to do so while slicing the porcelain tray along with it. Gobber chuckled lightly as the crowd whispered amongst themselves while he tried to spread the butter onto the toasted bread, only cutting it into crumbles of particularly buttered toast.

"Uh, it's also great for making bread crumbs," he added before the plate atop his hooked hand shattered into pieces from the long swords sharp blade edge. Darn Hiccup and her exceptional craftsmanship, Gobber frowned for a moment before continuing on, not yet ready to give up just yet. "Moving on…"

Gustav and Fanghook were walking over to the marketplace with the recruits for woven fishing baskets and rods when they noticed the cluster of Vikings around the forge.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a bit, I need to check this out," Gustav said as he separated from the group and pushed through the crowd to see Gobber marketing his weapons as common household items. A dark figure then leaned down to him and produced a deep gasp.

"Well this is a dark day," Mildew said causing Gustav to cringe his face in anger from the old man's words. "A great dragon slayer pedaling his weapons as kitchen utensils. Mmm…" he tsked several times in a clicking manner, allowing his words to sink into the young lad's heart.

"Up next, how about this…" Gobber walked forward with a mace when a giant fly buzzed by his visions and landed on a crumbled piece of toast on his wooden table stand. "Handy fly swatter!" he finished before forcefully raising the mace and taking aim at the insect and slamming it hardly, leaving a large chunk of the table destroyed. He looked to his audience who all gave him odd stares as he pulled the 'fly swatter' from the splinted wood. "It's also good for getting rid of unwanted tables!"

As if to spite him, the fly he attempted to smash buzzed away before Bones snapped at it with his mace-like tail, trying to help his friend as best he could.

"Mmm…" Mildew groaned, causing a knot to form in the pit of Gustav's stomach.

"Now! For the lady of the house. When the hubby's off pillaging, how are you going to protect yourself from home invaders?" he asked out while walking over to a catapult. "No problem when you have 'Big Bertha'!" he smiled as he tapped the metal boulder holder several times before the tension trigger snapped loose, sending the rock in the holder flying off into his neighbor, Silent Sven's, house.

Losing their patience with the blacksmith, the crowd disbanded back to their drifting, many groaning in disappointment or sighing apathetically.

"W-Wait there's more! Ah, come back, you haven't seen everything yet! I haven't cleared out my dungeon yet!" Gobber persuaded but with not avail as the Vikings went off. For the first time in his life, he felt like no one was around for him and honestly, he didn't like these new feelings as they crept onto him. Blacksmithing was all he knew, his life's work. Now with his weapons not needed anymore, what did he have to live for now? Turning over to the catapult, Gobber soothed one of its wooden wheels with his palm. "It's okay, Bertha, we'll find a place for you." Walking over to the back of the catapult, he began pushing it back into its storage unit; Bones aiding him along the way knowing his good friend really tried his best to make this work.

"Oh, it's hard to watch, especially for you, eh Gustav?" Mildew began before placing on of his bony hands onto his shoulders. "The feelings of guilt must be tearing at your insides? I mean your friend, Hiccup, put him out of business with her little peace pact with the dragons and just up and left for Berk to suffer from it. And just when you were learning to be a blacksmith, just like Gobber…She ruined his life, your future, everyone's security, bravo," he finished before walking away, feeling good to have planted the seeds of doubt into his mind.

Gustav held back the anger burning inside of him. He knew Hiccup didn't do such things and he knew Gobber understood that too. Just because they weren't at war with dragons anymore, didn't mean Gobber didn't have a place in the world, right? He looked over to Gobber as he and Bones reorganized the shop for the thirty-seventh time this week before looked back to Fanghook.

"This isn't fair, boy. Gobber taught Hiccup everything she needed to make those weapons and Toothless' tail and saddle and she showed me how to make your. We even made her foot together… We've gotta find some way to help him," Gustav held his fist out before walking towards him. "Hey, Gobber, how's it going?"

"You saw it out there, it was a disaster," he sighed heavily. "All my life I've been making weapons and for the first time, I'm not needed…"

"Don't think like that, Gobber. Berk will always need you and these weapons. Sure we won't be using them to kill dragons anymore but that doesn't mean they're useless. What if we…" Gustav fiddled his hands in the air, thinking of some possible thing to say. "Get attacked by pirates? Or invaders? I know if Hiccup were here, she'd know what to do with all this metal lying around…"

Gobber knew he was right. There was a part of him that would miss the day of mending blood coated axes and spear but times were changing. For now, he'd have to follow his own advice and relax. "Suppose, you're right. So, how's training coming along, Dragon Instructor?" he teased, nudging Gustav on the shoulder.

"We've made a bit of progress today, so far we've established a bond. The next step is feeding."

"Ah, always best to think with a full stomach," Gobber said as he continued to arrange his merchandize. "Brain food as they say."

"You wanna maybe help us out with activities and courses tomorrow?"

"If I find the time in my busy schedule," Gobber joked.

"Thanks! See you two later!" and with that, Gustav went off to rejoin the teens to continue with their lessons.

With his hooked hand waving a farewell to the lad, Gobber let out a defeated huff of breath when he was out of sights. It was difficult for him to keep cheerful, even with all his friends near him. There was the lack of the familiar pencil rolling in the draped room adjacent to him or the subtle sound of humming as his pupil worked diligently. He was taking the separation just as bad as everyone was. Maybe even on a level similar to Stoick's. Gobber had been a second father to her after her mother vanished.

He remembered the first week when he went to go check on her after Stoick had left off to sea and how different she seemed now with her mind clouded from her past. Her eyes didn't hold that luster they used to and she refused to utter out a single thing to him when he leaned down under the kitchen table to find her eyes darkened from a lack of sleep and the sound of her insides crying out for nourishment. She looked so lost, like she had never been there on Berk in the first place and she was this completely different being while still being the same. After that, he cleared his old storage closet and presented it to her as a study. The smile on her face was priceless and it had been the first she showed since that fateful night. Now with her gone, the forge seemed cold.

Bones leaned his head into the shop and nudged Gobber's back for comfort.

"I'll be fine, old friend. I just need to find my place now…" he turned around and petted his dragon under the chin as the afternoon sun began to slowly shine through the clouded sky.

"Um, Gustav, I'm not too sure this is a safe location for fishing," Fishlegs meekly began as the young recruits followed him to a low rising cliff side overlooking the wide blue expanse of sea.

"Trust me, this is prime catch. We'll be up to our necks in fish in no time," Gustav smiled as he set up his lure with a small piece of creeper.

Snotlout couldn't help but chortle. "What neck?"

"Hey, knock it off, Snotlout," Aarne grunted as he punched him on the forearm. "This is supposed to be a team exercise."

"I'm just saying…" Snotlout continued placing his palms up slightly.

"So…why couldn't we just get fish from the plaza instead?" Ruffnut asked.

"Yeah, would have been so much easier," Tuffnut finished.

"Because those fish are for restocking the food storage. Dragons can eat up to three basketfuls of fish daily, add that up, it's a lot of fish. If we're able to gather our own dragon's meals, it not only strengthens your trust but adds to a feeling of security," and with that, Gustav flicked his line a fair distance into the water.

Following in his steps, the others drew their own lines and waited patiently for a bite.

"How do you know this place will…" was all Aarne could get out before something tugged at his line, reeling in a fair-sized cod. He stared as it flopped several times before becoming motionless.

"Right under here is a reef. Fanghook and I mapped out areas where fishing is best during high and low tides." Gustav pulled out a sheet of paper from his vest, to let the others see.

"Wow!" Fishlegs looked at the map impressed, seeing all the crossed locations, some in red and others in blue to symbolize changing tides. "You two have been everywhere on Berk."

"It's something we both enjoy doing," Gustav placed the map back into his vest pocket.

A pull onto Snotlout's line had him pulled back slightly. "Oh man, I've got a big one!" He pulled with all this might while casting it in, careful not to let the monster of a fish get away. With one final tug, a great salmon -the likes of which pure description alone could not do it justice- came flying through the air and landed solidly on his horns atop his helmet.

Seeing the giant of a fish perched on the young boy's helmet was simply too inviting for the crimson Monstrous Nightmare and without giving it a second thought, lunged frontward and with a watery mouth clamped his jaw of the salmon and Viking. Snotlout's initial reaction was panic, thinking his dragon was now on a set course to make him a course. He thrashed about violently, using his still freed hands to punch at the dragon, ultimately driving one of his horns on his helmet into one of the Nightmare's teeth. With a bitter feeling mixing with the fishy goodness in his mouth and over the now exposed tooth mark, the Nightmare spat Snotlout out onto the floor. He tried to eat the salmon once more but there was this harsh pain creeping inside his gums and left the salmon to be on the grassy earth.

"What, not good enough for you, pigheaded dragon?" Snotlout remarked as he wiped the Nightmare spit off his face.

"Snotlout, it was an accident and don't call him that," Gustav got between the two once the both of them glared into each other's eyes.

"Well what else could I called, this 'Hookfang-ed' dragon tried to eat me!" he pointed accusingly at the Nightmare who growled to him.

"He was just hungry. Nightmares have a habit of latching onto people when excited. By the way, you could all be thinking of naming your dragons soon; it gives them a personal identity," Gustav said once he managed to calm the two hot-heads down.

"Oh! I think I got one!" Fishlegs excitingly cheered as he pulled in a fish and hanging it over to the Gronckle. "Here you go."

The Gronckle looked to the fish with mixed feelings. While fish were okay for a snack now and then but she quite preferred the crispy texture of rocks and with a puff of breath walked off to the side of the cliff to gorge on some stones.

"Okay, granted it's not a 'meat lug' of a fish, but do you really have to eat those instead," Fishlegs let out a slightly disappointed voice.

"No, no, no, that's a good sign. Gronckles eat mostly rocks, it's something Hiccup discovered while interacting with a wild one. See." Gustav walked up to him with the Dragon Manuel, showing him the updated pages.

Fishlegs looked to the pages in wonder, added in the new knowledge he could about his Gronckle. "You don't mind if I go over the book?"

"Go for it!" Gustav encourage as he watched Fishlegs walk over to the Gronckle, seating right next to him. He was feeling pretty confident with some of the training when he heard to large splashes coming from the water. Turning over, he could see the Zippleback with its heads over the cliff, the twins no where in sight. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me…"

When he looked over the side of the cliff, his thoughts were indeed real as he saw the two underwater, the Zippleback heads holding them by the boots before reeling them up like fishing line. In each of their hands, the twins held several fish, snickering to each other as their blonde hair dripped salt seawater. The heads of the Zippleback released the two by flipping them both into the air till they were upright and presented them each with the fish.

Before accepting the fish, the right head let out the excess of air tapped in his guts from hanging the female over the cliff, releasing a green stream of combustible haze right onto her face.

Ruffnut didn't seem to be fazed by the dragon's gassy breath; she had smelled much worse from her brother and laughed wildly. "Ha-ha! What a barf!"

The other head followed suit, letting out a deep burp that seemed to echo out from his long neck.

"Man, sick belch!" Tuffnut praised before the twins looked to each other with smiles.

"Barf," Ruffnut said as she pointed to the right head.

"Belch," her brother mimicked but to the left before both slammed their helmets together.

Seeing this behavior, the Zippleback brothers smiled and butted their skulls, accepting the names and soon the fish.

As the female Nadder ate her cod her human had given her, she gazed out into the sea and saw a school of fish dancing about in the blue. While she appreciated the Viking known as Aarne providing her with a meal, she was the type to remain independent and prove to him she was willing to give their connection a shot. Unreeling her tail spikes, she aimed properly into the waters and shot out several to unsuspecting fish before swooping down like a dart to retrieve them, presenting three large salmon to Aarne's feet.

Aarne placed his hands onto her chin and other on her cheek. "Not bad, you really flew like a storm out there," he smiled turned into a cheerful chuckle at a thought for her title. "Stormfly."

Walking back towards the village, Snotlout was having a difficult time truly bonding with his dragon who he ultimately named Hookfang after his teeth. Maybe it was the 'pigheaded dragon' comment that put a wedge between them. He felt they had made a connection back at the arena. It was most likely his pride that prevented him from apologizing and little to his knowledge, Hookfang was thinking the same thing.

He didn't intend to upset this...Snotlout, but he wasn't about to apologize for it what with him punching his face. One of his back teeth was paining him like never before and he was beginning to grown restless and hungry. He began mumbling to himself loudly, feeling as his tooth pulsed with inflammation.

"Is Hookfang feeling alright, Snotlout? He sounds a bit antsy," Gustav commented with his filled basket of fish over his shoulder. This was the third day since they began training and they had all managed to form a deep connection with their dragons, all except Snotlout and Hookfang.

Since that time, they had all managed to properly mount onto their dragons and knew the basics in flight training that he passed down to them from his trainings with Hiccup. Things in the village were beginning to turn around as the dragons began exploring the village with their riders. At first, the reaction was to hide or stay away from them, but after seeing how docile they had become, people began going about their lives till it wasn't so much a big deal to have several dragons around. It wasn't long before passing dragons would see the Vikings and dragons on this strange island in the Archipelago and fly down to investigate, some even making a residence on top of houses or near the caverns by the coastline. And while most people seemed to welcome the new changes hoping it would bring back the first rider, some discouraged the idea entirely…

"He's been like this for days, I think it could be his personality," he said as he pulled out a tied wad of dragon nip from his pant pocket and tossed it over to him, which he took wholeheartedly. It was the only thing Hookfang could stomach down and it slightly numbed the pain around his gums.

"Maybe he just realized who his owner is," Aarne added as he and Stormfly carried several baskets for later use.

As they approached the village, it seemed a hurricane had passed by as men and women shouted at wild dragons as they leapt from house to house making large holes onto their roofs and stealing bits of bread, fish and just running amok around the plaza. These events were what kept a large majority of the population on the fence about inviting dragons into their world and on the forefront of the offense seemed to always be Mildew.

"Incoming!" one man shouted out as he pointed up towards the sunny sky, a mirage of wild dragons hovering overhead like a bad omen. "Dragon poo!"

And from the heavens, came the storm of waste that had everyone scurry for cover. The dragon riders hid under a houses canopy, waiting for the squall to pass.

"Ew! Oh gross, gross, gross!" Gustav wailed as he stepped back for cover. "Oh, poop! Oh that's disgusting." He managed to stop side by side with the local fishermen, Bucket and Mulch as they took cover under their wooden umbrellas –a new business venture for Gobber as he converted them from shields- and smiled weakly to them. "H-hey Mulch. Hey Bucket. Sorry about the aahh…" he pointed upward.

"Every day at three," Bucket said looking up to the passing storm. "They're regular at least, a tip of the cap." He finished with a salute.

"Better than the days when it was kill or be killed," Mulch joined in. For them it was a welcomed change to not have to worry about defending themselves from dragons so much anymore, if anything it was their appetite they had to battle as they struggled to restock the storage.

"We brought some extra baskets of fish for you guys today. How's the catch out there?" Gustav asked as he and Fanghook maneuvered around the piles of waste on the ground to hand the fishers several cases of fish.

"There's a darned rouge dragon out there scaring away most of the fish, we've had to make do with catching them nearer to the coast and those fellas are slippery," Mulch answered. "We really appreciate you kids helping us out."

"It's no problem, these guys are natural fishers themselves," Gustav said as Fanghook stood tall, his sparrow whistling a tune of victory from the comment.

"STOICK!" they heard from the far right of town, a voice far too familiar with distain.

On the other end of town, Gobber, Stoick and several other men were reorganizing the storage, something that took time for them to do since it was usually Hiccup who managed the unit. She had kept everything so neat and even that many were too intimidated to actually go in and file things together, fearing they'd miss the system up or place new stock in the front and spoil the older food in the back.

"Ah, here's Mildew with the complaint of the day," Gobber droned as the elderly man approached with his trusty sheep in arms.

Stoick really wasn't in the best of moods to hear the old man's grievances. He already had a lot on his plate since taking back his position as chief and thankfully he had people like Gobber and the riders to help out where they could to get Berk running again. "You've picked a bad time, Mildew. I'm in the middle of storing food. The freeze is coming."

This seemed to fall on deaf ears as Mildew continued forward. "It's the dragons again. Helps themselves to my roof and my cabbage to the point where there aren't any left for the village. How are we going to survive the freeze without vegetables?" he knew the comment bit hard onto his chief. "Those demons aren't fit to live amongst civilized men!"

"Neither are you, Mildew. Why do you think we built your house so far outside of town?" Gobber stated dryly.

"Oh very well, make your jokes. Meanwhile these DRAGONS are picking our village cold, turned people's houses into piles of rubble…!" he pointed out to the men and women repairing their house, many hearing this and coming over to join in the complaints. For them, it was easier to overlook the good and see only the bad. "They even disturb an old man's rest! Can you see the bags under me eyes?!" he continued as he turned to face the chief, pulling his lid downward to show him the dark circles layering this face.

Gobber looked over to Stoick and admitted. "He's right. His hideous."

With the crowd stirred up, Mildew kept the hatred alive as he motioned out to the gathering. "These are wild, unpredictable beast! They even cracked his man's skull…" Mildew banged his staff onto Bucket's head as he and the other dragon riders and Mulch joined the group. "…like an egg."

"Eggs! I like eggs! Scrabbled, over easy, pouched!" Bucket shouted, not really paying much attention to the argument and it seemed to calm the crowd a bit.

"You need to put those dragons in cages!" Mildew returned his attention to Stoick, staring him dead in the face. "if you don't, they'll eat us out of house and home and destroy the entire village!"

Fear crept into the villagers hearts at the thought of losing their homes. It really made things difficult to move forward with all the new wild dragons running about.

"Look Mildew, if there's a problem, I'll deal with it," Stoick stepped forward.

"Oh there is a problem, Stoick. It started with your witch of a daughter when she left us all to suffer this wrath. And I think I speak for everyone when I say you handled that one smoothly."

That really hit a nerve with not only Stoick but many people in the crowd and it was Gustav who couldn't handle it any longer. "You take that back, Mildew!"

Everyone grew silent as the young Larson boy stepped forward to the old man. "Hiccup left on her own accord and you have no right to speak about her like that! If it weren't for her, we'd still be killing and not fixing the problem! She did so much for this village and all you see is the bad! Yes these dragons are causing a bit of problems, but we're Vikings and we're not going to let a few wild ones ruin our lives! We've been able to train some of these dragons and they've been pulling their own weight around here by catching fish for the village and what have you been doing!? The chief and everyone else have been working hard to make changes around here and all you're doing is trying to start a fight! Hiccup may not be here to defend the dragons, but I am, and I'm not going to let you or anyone else make them look like the bad guys when these are just dragons being dragons!" at the end of his rant, his face was red and he was out of breath. He was tied of all the negativity Mildew was throwing their way and it just boiled over all at once.

For the longest time, the town was quiet, even the wild dragons had stopped what they were doing. Stoick was the first to speak up. "Gustav is right. We've faced far worse in the past. With a little effort, we can use these dragons' natural abilities to our advantage and help the village. Remember who we're doing this for. It means working together…"

Many of the Vikings now let out a sigh of understanding. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither would their new lives if they kept dwelling in the past. Thinking it over, it seemed like a better choice to accept the dragons as opposed to killing or running them off the island. There was less bloodshed and the wild dragons weren't doing anything overwhelming like eating their livestock or hurting them. If anything it was curiosity mixed with excitement, they were a lot like Hiccup in that sense and upon that thought their nerves calmed down. Soon people were apologizing to one another and to Stoick. If they wanted her to come home, they'd have to make it a home for not only her but for the dragons she now protected.

Letting out a disgruntled groan, Mildew cursed them all for heeding his warning and stomped off home. "That tears it, Fungus, that boy and his dragons are going down…"

By the end of the first week since accepting dragons, Berk wasn't so much the same as before. The fire torches that had once lit the night sky during raids were now feeding posts for dragons, something that reminded them of a young peacekeeper from long ago. They wondered what she would say now if she was still there. To know that her own daughter followed in her footsteps or peace between the two races and was now a hero in their eyes. They were sure that wherever Valka was, she was looking down on her daughter with love and admiration.

"Come on, Hookfang, what's wrong with you?" Snotlout struggled to get him to try on the new saddle Gobber had built for him, the second one to be exact since the first was a bit too extreme. Hookfang just thrashed about wildly, angered by something that Snotlout couldn't understand, not even the dragon nip was working anymore. Snotlout knew Hookfang was a good dragon, he had spent time with him, grown to really appreciate the big guy's presence but it was this attitude that really made things difficult. "That's it, someone's trading with me."

"Yeah sure, I'll trade my perfect dragon for an angry oven," Tuffnut smiled sarcastically as he and his sister bopped fist. They loved watching Barf and Belch set things on fire and it was a riot when they all pulled pranks on others. The four of them were a wild bunch.

"Can't you gain control of that dragon," Aarne asked as he dodged one of Stormfly's spine shots. It was a part of a new line of training he had been working on when he learned she loved to train just as much as he did. They had spent hours in the forest practicing their aim, him with his axe and her with her spines. It built not only their strength as individuals but their bond as dragon and rider.

"It's not me, it's him. He doesn't listen…." Snotlout leaned down to rub Hookfang on his head, trying to soothe him down but this time, something strange happened. "…Uh-oh."

Loud cries echoed in the air as Hookfang sprang up in an out of control manner, his eyes slit into a cast of pure fury as he let out flames from his throat.

They needed to find Gustav, fast…

Gobber had spent his newfound time helping in the arena with the new recruits when he could, he and Gustav even had a bit of a works men struggle over saddle designs for the dragons and their riders but ultimately came to crossroads over the matter.

"I know you know what you're doing, but keep in mind every dragon is different," Gustav said as he laid out some designs in front of Gobber. "So you need to adjust the..."

"Gustav."

"But…"

"Gustav."

"But I just think…"

"Gus-tav," Gobber dropped the axe in his hand to get his point out. "I may have taught you and Hiccup everything you two know." He said, pushing the boy slightly with his hammered hand, "but I haven't taught you two everything I know."

He was getting by with his shop by building saddles as well as food posts out of the old catapults but he still longed for a higher calling. He sighed as he hammered into a piece of leather, Bones tapping him on the shoulder to alert him to an approaching body. Grabbing his crossbow, Gobber took aim at the entrance of the forge.

"Don't shoot!"

"I would never shoot you, Gustav. Unless I absolutely had to," Gobber confirmed to him with a smile.

"Ha-ha-ha, yeah. Still, if you could please put the crossbow down I know, I'd feel better."

Placing the crossbow on the table Gobber went back to work on a new batch of saddles for some of the recruits, Gustav clearing his throat before approaching.

"Gobber we need to talk. I think it might be time to…take a little break," Gustav hinted to his mentor.

"In case you hadn't noticed, the only time a Viking ever takes a break is to die," Gobber said as he mended two pieces of leather together.

"Maybe 'break' is the wrong word… What I mean is, I'm not sure things are working out."

Gobber paused from hammering into the leather with a punch. He knew he had messed up a few times with the saddles, putting on catapults and flamethrowers on some of them but he was only trying to help. He didn't want to have to stop doing something just because he made a few errors. "Well get back to me when you're sure," he said hoping that would be the end of it.

Gustav took a deep breath; this was harder than he thought it would be. He and Gobber were co-workers as well as dragon riders and he hated to do this but he had no choice what with the dragons disoriented from the first and second batch of saddles he had made. He had wondered what Hiccup would have done in this situation. "Okay, I'm sure… Gobber, I'm gonna need to take you off the saddle project."

He gave one final clang to the leather punch before his heart fell to the ground. This was what Gobber didn't want to happen. "Are you getting rid of me, Gustav? Now I see why you had me put down the crossbow." His voice was quiet and he felt he had lost all the hope in the world.

"No. It's just the saddles...we'll find something else for you…" Gustav didn't want to make Gobber upset. He had a position to care for the dragons now and decisions like this had to be made, he just wished it wasn't to a good friend.

"I don't need yer pity," Gobber began. "I've lost an arm and a leg, a daughter, I think I'll survive losin' a job…"

"I'm really sorry, Gobber…" was all Gustav could get out before a loud boom was heard from the plaza and both went out to check out the problem.

It was almost as if on cue that a large stream of fire and the blood churning cry of a Nightmare bellowed out in the night, sending many of the villagers in a panic as they saw Snotlout running towards them.

He was puffing and huffing by the time he got to Gustav, Hookfang in a frenzy of wild dragon rage. "I… never thought I'd say this, but Gustav!" he grabbed onto him and shook madly. "HELP!"

Gobber, Gustav and Fanghook looked to Hookfang as he lit his entire body aflame, thrashing about as large amounts of lava-like spit felt from the sides of his mouth like rabies.

"What happened?!" Gustav asked trying to focus on both him and the Nightmare.

"I don't know what happened! I was just rubbing his head, he usually loves that! But this time he went crazy. My dragon hates me."

The other dragon riders soon dropped in on their dragons, trying to cover Hookfang and calm him down. He kept rubbing his cheek to the cold hard ground, trying to relieve the constant pain in his mouth but to no avail.

"They do say a pet starts to take on the characteristics of its owner," Fishlegs said next to a worried Snotlout. "I think that's what's happening here…"

"Hey," Snotlout retaliated by hitting Fishlegs on his gut with his elbow, leaving him breathless.

"Yeah, I rest my case," Fishlegs got out before falling to the ground winded with Meatlug, his Gronckle, by his side.

Noticing Hookfang's thin body, Gustav grew worried. "When was the last time he ate?"

"Not for days," Snotlout answered.

"So you just starved your dragon?" Aarne asked with his axe at the ready if needed be.

"I didn't do it on purpose, he won't eat. I've been giving him dragon nip to chew on but not even that is calming him down!"

Taking a fish from a nearby basket at the plaza, Gustav presented it to Hookfang, hoping it was just simple hunger that had him in a bad mood.

Hookfang took it immediately and upon giving it a few chews, whimpered as his tooth ached and he could taste little bits of his own blood running down his throat. Spitting out the fish, it flew straight onto Stoick's beard who was less than impressed with it as he and several other villagers held their weapons at the ready.

"Gustav…" Stoick said.

"No, Chief, I can do this," he turned over to Hookfang, placing his palm onto his snout like he did the day he first started the training. It seemed to work as he calmed down, his growls turning into steady purrs. "There you go," he placed his other hand onto his jaw and it triggered the violent behavior once more as he covered himself in flames and let out more blaze from his mouth.

"Gustav!" Fanghook was set into defense mode as the sparrow flew off his head and flew towards Gustav to maneuver him away as the younger Nightmare lit up and attacked the mature one.

"I warned ya, Stoick, but did ya listen to me!? No. You put a bunch of teenagers in charge, now look at what they're doing! At this rate, Berk will burn to the ground!" Mildew shouted as the two Nightmares ducked it out, Fanghook not yet able to maintain his fire coating for as long as Hookfang. "Caging is too good for those beast, they need to be slain!"

The crowd agreed with heavy hearts. Many of them now had dragons of their own, some were Nightmares, but this one was just buck wild. They had given him a chance, but this was the same dragon that nearly killed Hiccup. If they couldn't find a solution, it had to be put down.

Soon fire encircled the plaza as both rang around each other till Stoick finally placed his hand onto Gustav's shoulder. "I've seen enough, lad. I'm sorry, we tried it your way. Gobber!"

They all turned to see Gobber dressed to the nines in weapons. "Stand back." His expression was serious as he knew what had to be done. "I came here to do what I do best."

"He's gonna kill my dragon…" Snotlout uttered in disbelief. It felt like his heart was aching from picturing that when two weeks ago it was all he ever wanted to do. His viewpoint on dragons changed drastically when he and Hookfang first bonded, he couldn't have that taken away from him, not when they were so close to becoming friends.

"No, he's not," Gustav tried to convince.

"Uh, yeah he is," Tuffnut corrected.

"You don't use that stuff to butter toast," Ruffnut added crossing her arms.

"Well I mean we would, but you don't." Tuffnut confirmed to the group.

"Chief, you can't be serious, Hookfang is Snotlout's dragon!" Gustav raced to him, pleading for a different way.

"I'm sorry, Gustav. But sometimes you have to fall back on the old ways," Gobber addressed with a heavy heart.

"But he's a good dragon."

"He's a good dragon," Snotlout repeated, feeling the tightening pain in his heart grow.

"There's probably just something wrong with him?" Gustav tried as he yanked on Gobber's arm as he advanced towards Hookfang.

"There's definitely something wrong with him," a small tear fell from Snotlout's eye and though he would never admit it, he'd risk his own life just to find out what was wrong with him.

"We have to try and help him. We can't just get rid of him because he's having a bad day!" Gustav's feet were dragged as he desperately tried to stop Gobber.

"A bad day for a dragon could be a disaster for us. That's not a risk I'm willing to take," Stoick said as he tried to pry the boy from Gobber's forearm. Once he was off, he gave Gobber the signal to advance.

"Oh, this is gonna be good, Fungus!" Mildew cheered as he prepared himself to watch a murder.

Readying his bolas, Gobber entangled Hookfang's wings and legs, preventing him from escaping as the final blast of his shot limit choked his breath.

"Ha, you're all out of fire," Gobber taunted as he drew his sword, ready to end the life of another dragon, he hoped the last he'd have to take.

Hearing the wails from Hookfang the other dragons looked away. They couldn't understand why Hookfang was acting like this, he was usually very calm. Ever since the pairing, he seemed to grow distant and refused to speak to anyone, it was hard to see.

Gustav shook and twisted himself in Stoick's hold. He couldn't let this happen. If dragon blood was spilt onto the ground, the pact between Berk and the dragon could be severed and Hiccup would possibly never come home. Taking a deep breath, Gustav sank his teeth onto Stoick's hand hard, releasing him as he ran off to stop his mentor from making the biggest mistake of his life. "I can't let you do this! This isn't what Hiccup wanted!"

It made Gobber pause for a moment as the young boy latched himself onto his arm and the thought of her crossed his mind. "There's no choice… It has to be done."

Hookfang set his body aflame once more, destroying the ropes that held him down and raced towards the two, yelling at them with a wide mouth and both peered inside to see the root of his problem.

"Do you see that?" Gobber asked with his sword still held to the heavens.

"I do…" his junior apprentice confirmed as Hookfang stepped back.

Sheathing his long sword, Gobber stood proudly. "Time to put this beast out of his misery," he cracked his neck before marching towards the tired dragon.

"Gustav! What are you doing?" Aarne stepped forward thinking he had given up, Gustav merely raising his back palm to him to stop.

Tuffnut covered his eyes, not willing to see the horrors that awaited until his sister slapped his arm and knew it was something they all had to see. It was the Viking way… They all watched as Gobber jumped high into the air, clamping onto Hookfang's head as he wrestled about with him, swinging his head back and forth in an effort to get the man off of his but it was held on tightly as he forced his jaws open and hooked onto the cause of all the dragon's pain and misery before being thrown back to the crowd of Vikings and dragons.

Hookfang shook his head several times, feeling the sweet relief on his mouth and around his gums and for the first time in a week he was able to smile.

"Oh, you didn't kill him!" cheered Snotlout with a sigh of liberation.

"For a toothache? What kind of lunatic are you?" he showed them the open area of the Nightmare's fang.

"Doesn't that look it it'd fit Snotlout's horn?" Ruffnut asked.

"Maybe he hurt his tooth the day we first went fishing, that's why he's been rejecting food." Fishlegs examined the tooth closely as he rubbed his chin.

Feeling calm, Hookfang flew over to Snotlout and knocked him onto his back, tapping his midsection with his jaw, causing the Viking to chuckle gratefully now that his dragon was alright and safe from harm before lifting him off the ground. Snotlout continued to laugh till he realized everyone on the village was watching and ordered him to stop and put him to the back to the floor. "Ugh, I don't know where that came from? Can you train that out of him or…"

"What? Not good enough for ya? Stiff-necked Viking," Hookfang grunted as he walked home, the one he shared with his human.

"Thanks, Gobber. I'm sorry I went there and used Hiccup as means to stop you. I should have faith in you, you know what you're doing after all," Gustav kicked the floor as he stood by him and Stoick. "And I'm sorry I bit you, Chief."

"It's alright, Gustav. You did a good thing today, I'm sure Hiccup would be proud," Stoick smiled.

"That's it!? No punishment for the beast? That walking fire pit nearly burned the village to bits!" Mildew complained.

"But he didn't. We can't punish one dragon because of a tooth, thankfully, no one was hurt," Stoick stepped forward, causing the old man o scoff before taking his leave with his sheep.

Gustav finished the portrait of the riders with their dragons by the gate of the arena. The sun was shining brighter than it had for weeks and all around dragons and Vikings were coming together. There were men and women riding them as they brought in the first catches of the day and several mending new bridges and roofs which were now a treat rather than a pain. Gobber and Bones worked together in the forge making false dragon teeth and doing dental work for their patients while Gothi and Etch shielded themselves from the sunlight with wooden umbrellas. A new sign was being posted over the arena, a round wooden crest with the image of a Night Fury with one red fin.

Aarne smiled as he walked forward to see it get hung up over the entrance by Fishlegs and Snotlout. He gave Gustav a firm punch on the arm. "Berk Dragon Academy, I like the sound of that. Is that the update for Hiccup?" he asked as he noticed Sharpshot impatiently pacing back and forth, waiting to go see her.

"Yep, I think she's going to be pretty impressed with what we've got in store for her when she gets back," Gustav grinned as he proofread his article:

To Hiccup, Dragon Queen:

This is Berk. For generations it's been Viking against dragon. The battles were furious, then one day, everything changed. You met Toothless, and together you've shown people here that instead of fighting dragons we can ride them, live with them, even train them. Dragons can change who they are, but who would want them to? Dragons are powerful, amazing creatures. They reflect us in so many ways and teach us much more about ourselves from just being around them. I know they've done that for me.

When the world around you changes, the good men find a way to change with it. There are many good men around here on Berk willing to take the good with the bad. And Gobber is one of those good men. In fact, he's one of the best. Everybody needs a place in the world. Some people are born to theirs. Some people discover theirs. And some people make a place for themselves. He changed his ways of killing and is now helping others to work with them and care for their needs. I think that's pretty cool.

I hope you like the changes around here and I wish you the best in your role as queen.

Your friend and student, Gustav Larson, Berk Dragon Academy Instructor

After finishing his letter he tied it onto Sharpshot who was eager to head off when Stoick arrived, breathing in the fresh air. "It's a good day. I'm proud of you; you've all made me proud. This Dragon Training Academy is for you and the future of our people. Treat it well and it will last a lifetime." He cut the red ribbon placed over the gates and the crowd of dragons and Vikings cheered, all except Mildew who held a bitter expression on his old face.

"Now all you have to do is train them," Stoick smiled widely.

"Not a problem, Chief, I've got him," Gustav reassured as he petted Fanghook under the chin before hearing a less than subtle cough from the teens.

"And them too. And we've also got Hiccup out there, learning all she can about dragons," he finally allowed Sharpshot to buzz off towards the sunrise as he made his way over to spread the news of the epic change on the Isle of Berk, thanks to a Viking and her Night Fury.