'Make sure it does not boil –that will make the mixture thicken too much and become useless. A gentle simmer will do well enough.'

Thora nodded, stirring the medicinal syrup slowly. It smelled strongly of mint, basil, and clove. Its scent wasn't the best combination of smells, but she was thankful it was better smelling than the medicine they had made earlier involving yak blood and powdered anise.

"How long should I let it simmer for?" she asked, glancing over at Gothi.

The old woman was sitting in her chair, bundled up in many layers of furs thanks to the cold she had recently acquired. Her hands, also covered up, grabbed her staff again and began to write, 'You will know when you can run your finger down the back of the spoon and a clear path is left unfilled.'

"Alright…not sure I want t' touch somethin' that hot, though," she murmured.

'Dip your finger in water before doing so. It will keep away the pain.'

Thinking the mixture was nearing its done point, she dipped one of her fingers into her mug of water before pulling the spoon out. Doing as Gothi instructed, she watched as the syrup slowly oozed back to fill in the gap.

'Not quite there,' she thought, wiping her finger on her apron. She winced slightly; her arm had come out of the sling a few days ago, but moving it in certain directions still brought about a jolt of pain. 'A minute or two more, then.' She started stirring the mixture again, wanting to prevent it from burning.

Soon, the medicine had reached the proper consistency and she did her best to evenly pour it into four different bottles. Knowing it would have to cool completely before she put the cork on, she left the bottles to sit on the table as she went outside, filling the pot with snow to help cool it for cleaning.

When she came back inside, Gothi was blowing her nose into a well-soiled handkerchief. Raising her brow, Thora inwardly cringed. "Let's get ya a clean handkerchief, aye?" she suggested.

Gothi nodded, handing the soaking wet square of cloth to Thora, who gingerly took it between her forefinger and thumb. She carried it over to a small cauldron filled with steaming water and dropped it in; Gothi's other used handkerchiefs were also in the hot liquid. She swished her fingers in the water before going over to a trunk and pulling out a fresh handkerchief. Taking it to Gothi, she noticed the old woman had scribbled on the ground again.

'By the way, you never told me how the treaty signing went,' was what she read.

Sighing, Thora went to start cleaning the now-cooled pot of any bits of syrup or herbs left inside it. "It was…somethin', that's for sure. No doubt Uncle Stoick's told ya by now that Oswald is no longer chief o' the Berserkers?"

Nodding, Gothi adjusted herself, watching as Thora scrubbed the pot.

"Well, I spent those two days runnin' all over Berk because I was either helpin' t' chase after a dragon or havin' t' put up with the flirtations o' Dagur the Deranged." She gave Gothi a long, exasperated look before sticking her tongue out in disgust. "An', aye: he does live up t' the title." She shrugged. "Wasn't terrible t' look at…but then he went an' opened his mouth an' everythin' went downhill from there"

A hoarse laugh came from Gothi before she loudly blew her nose. 'I know very much how you feel in that regard,' she wrote, making Thora curiously raise her brow.

"Oh? How so?"

'You may not believe me, but there is a reason Mildew managed to have three wives in his youth,' she wrote, her own brow lifted in amusement. 'He was a rather attractive man in his early days, but his personality was just as bad as it is today.'

Sticking out her tongue, Thora shook her head. "Impossible. There is no way Mildew was ever young, let alone attractive," she argued, making Gothi laugh once again. "He's always been a hideous ol' curmudgeon with far too much nose hair! I honestly don't see why you're laughin' so much over there; I'm just tellin' ya the truth!"

By that point, Gothi was laughing so hard, she nearly toppled out of her chair. Thora reached over, gently pushing her back into the furs before removing a couple of the layers so she wouldn't overheat. Dabbing at her eyes with a clean part of the handkerchief, the older woman still shook with giggles, but had managed to mostly regain her composure.

'Oh, Thora, child –you have no idea how badly I needed a laugh like that!' she wrote, her letters shaky. 'Thank you for that.'

She rubbed the back of her neck with her tail. "You're welcome, I guess? But c'mon –there is no way ya were tellin' the truth 'bout Mildew just now.'

'Whether you wish to believe it or not, child, I was.'

Before Thora could reply, the door burst open and Gobber came rushing in. He closed the door behind him and brushed snow from his trousers and shoulders. Letting out a strange noise as he shivered, he hurried over to the fire to warm himself.

"Er…hi, da'," Thora blinked, staring at her father in confusion. "What brings ya all the way up here?"

"This is what brings me," he replied, reaching underneath his cloak. From it, he pulled out a scroll. "Hiccup an' the others flew past Trader Johann this morning on one o' their patrols an' he gave 'em this. It's your mother's reply, lovey."

Both Gothi and Thora's eyes widened, though the latter of the two unconsciously leaned away from the letter. Biting her tongue, she watched as Gothi urged her to take the scroll. She hesitantly reached out, afraid of the words she would soon read.

"Go on, lovey," Gobber gently told her. "Take your time. Ya don't have t' read it out loud, either, if ya don't want."

She nodded slowly as she looked over the scroll. Not only was it bound shut by a long, thin strip of leather, but it also had a seal of what looked and smelled like sap. After removing the both, she took a deep breath and unfurled the parchment only to let out a gasp; a necklace had tumbled out of the parchment. How she hadn't felt it when the scroll was bound, she didn't know Looking it over, she found that it was simple –just a silver chain with a stone pendant.

Her brow rising, she started to read the letter.

-Litla Systir- Little Sister Thora—

First, please excuse my -tungumál- language. Human speak is not mine or my brothers' gift, but we do our best.

Second, your letter is many years too late. With -sorg- sadness, I inform you that Mother has been taken to Valhalla or Folkvangr. She will be unable to give lessons to you, Little Sister Thora.

Third, I not know how much you know of us, your brothers. I remember Mother not giving much information with you when Trader Johann took you to the human island. We are three: Chief Ulfr is oldest and strongest brother. He is much like Mother in manners and mind, but more like Father Skúld in appearance. Healer Ormr is middle brother and, like title, is best healer. He is gentler than Mother, but not look like her at all. He look and act much like Father Njorðr. Then there is me, Sindri. I am youngest brother but strongest in magic. I look much like mother, but am more like Father Ing in mind.

We wonder if you act like Mother or if are more like father? We remember him and Chieftain Stoick. They were strong -for humans. Very strong. Slew many cowardly Romans in that battle! Your father is good man and great warrior. You have good blood in your veins.

You are many centuries younger to us, Little Sister Thora. We remember you, but only slightly. You were tiny. Tinier than even a human infant! Ormr was confident you would not see a year pass, but we see he was wrong. Good! We don't remember your hair, but your skin was lighter than Mother's. You had trouble nursing from Mother, so you had to be fed warmed goat milk with a spoon.

Völva Gothi says you have magic like us, but she cannot train you. Troll magic not like human magic. Troll magic comes from strength and earth; human magic is given by gods. But you are half human, half troll. Your magic is -öðruvísi- different. Völva Gothi has taught you what she knows. Now you must come to our home to be taught what we know. Ulfr will teach you shapeshifting. Ormr will teach you healing. I will teach you magic. We know not how long you will take to train, but I guess a few years. Ormr says you may start as if you were a child learning; it depends on how much you now know.

But winter is coming fast. Sailing is not safe during this time…days too short, nights too cold. Come to us in mid-spring, Little Sister Thora, when the last frost has gone. When you come, we tell you more about us and Mother. We tell you why Mother gave you to Father and why the -Valkyrjur- Valkyries claimed her.

-Sindri

Oh, also: The necklace will help you find us.

"Well?" Gobber asked after many tense minutes had passed.

"…Greta's dead," Thora finally spoke, still trying to absorb the information she had just read. "I assume she died in battle; it says she's gone t' Valhalla or Folkvangr…"

A shadow of sorrow came to Gobber's eyes. "O-oh…I guess that means ya won't be gettin' trained then…" he murmured, taking off his helmet and scratching the top of his head with his hook. "Can't say I'm not too disappointed by that, t' be honest…"

Gothi merely let out a heavy sigh.

Thora, however, shook her head. "No. M-my brothers said they would train me."

"Brothers?" Gobber repeated, his eyes wide. "Ya have brothers?"

"Three o' them," she replied with a nod. "Evidently, they're centuries older than me…"

Again, he scratched the top of his head. "Well, that'd explain why I didn't see any whelps runnin' around the camp," he murmured. "So, they're goin' t' be the ones t' train ya? When do they want ya t' head over?"

"After the last frost has passed, so about mid-spring. Sindri, the one who wrote the letter, said sailing in winter is too dangerous –which is true. I don't think it'd be fun t' run into an iceberg in the middle o' the night an' end up wreckin' the ship…"

Gothi nodded in understanding before writing on the ground. 'What else did they say?' she questioned. 'Did they say what you are to learn from them?'

"Shapeshiftin', healin', an' magic," she replied, looking over the letter again. "It may take a few years to teach it all to me. That's…a lot longer than I was thinkin', t' be honest. I mean, you were able t' teach me some magic within just a few weeks."

'You are a product of two worlds, child,' Gothi wrote. 'It will take them time to find out how to best tutor you. I would assume you will learn how to heal faster than shapeshifting and using magic, however, since you already have a firm grasp on what I have taught you. Yes, there is still much for you to learn, but you currently have enough knowledge to tend to everyday wounds and illnesses and that is more than what most people can do.'

"True," she agreed, picking up the necklace and looking over it again, this time paying closer attention to its details. There wasn't much she missed the first time she had looked it over, except now she noticed how the stone had been cut thin enough that, when she held it up to the firelight, she could see through it. "Huh…" she murmured.

Gobber cocked his head. "They sent ya a necklace?" he questioned, half his brow rising. "Well, that's certainly nice o' them!"

"Sindri said it's supposed t' help me find 'em." She turned the stone over in her hands, squinting as she tried to see if, perhaps, there was a map etched on it somewhere or something of the sort. "Not sure how, though…I mean, it's a piece o' jewelry…" Putting it on, she waited to see if anything magical would happen. When nothing did, she frowned slightly, but shrugged.

"Maybe if ya show it t' Trader Johann, he'll know where t' take ya?" Gobber guessed. "Or maybe it's t' buy ya passage on Trader Johann's ship…"

"I doubt that. Well, however it works, at least it makes for a pretty, normal necklace in the meantime, eh?" She chuckled and looked down at the stone. It seemed to change color whenever the light hit it, making it impossible to tell what its real shade was. "Oh, an' da'? They apparently remember ya an' Uncle Stoick. Sindri said the two o' ya were good men an' admired your strength." Standing up, she went over to one of Gothi's many kettles and filled it with water.

Gobber puffed out his chest in pride. "Well, o' course! We're Hairy Hooligans –we're the strongest tribe o' the Barbaric Archipelago!" He grinned proudly. "An' your uncle is certainly one o' the strongest men this tribe has seen in decades. Why, I don't think even his own father was as strong as him!" He watched as Thora put the kettle over the fire before going over to Gothi's herb shelf.

Gothi raised her brow and started scribbling on the ground. Leaning over, Gobber read her words only to turn a bit pink around the ears.

"Gothi, be nice," he lightly scolded, using his foot to wipe away her words before Thora could read them. "Don't write those things around Thora! She doesn't need t' pick up on language like that."

Thora snorted, having a feeling she knew what sort of thing the old woman had written. "Don't worry, da' –I'm sure it's nothin' I haven't heard or read before."

That only made Gobber frown. "Oh really? An' just where is it you're hearin' that sort o' language, young lady?"

Innocently, she shrugged and looked away from him as she gathered some lavender, chamomile, and some pieces of a dried root called ginger; Gothi said it came from lands east of Rome and was rather expensive to get. "Oh, I don't know…it's not like I wasn't raised by two, rough 'n tumble men or anythin'…" She glanced over at Gothi when the old woman laughed hoarsely before heading back to the fire and tossing the small handful of herbs into the kettle.

An indignant look came to his face and he put his hand and hook on his hips. "I don't recall me or Stoick usin' that sort o' language around you an' Hiccup!" he retorted.

"Oh, but ya did –ya ay not have realized it, but ya did. Especially when ya an' Uncle Stoick were in the forge or havin' one o' your heated games o' Maces an' Talons."

He rolled his eyes, pouting. "Sassin' your ol' man…" he murmured. "What's becomin' o' teenagers these days, eh? Thinkin' they own the world an' that they can talk back t' their parents…"

Rolling her eyes as well, Thora grinned, though she resisted the urge to say any sort of retort. Instead, she remained silent and fetched both a wooden mug and a jar of honey. Knowing Gothi liked her tea on the sweeter side, she put a large dollop of the honey in the bottom of the mug. Behind her, she could hear Gothi's staff scratching against the floor as she wrote something out.

"She writin' t' me or you, da'?" she asked, grabbing a second mug and adding just a small bit of honey to it.

"Me," he replied, leaning over and reading the words.

"Would ya like some tea, da'?"

"No thanks, lovey. I got t' head back t' the forge soon. I mainly came up here t' give ya the letter."

She nodded in understanding, turning around with the mugs in her hand. "Alright. I may be late in comin' home, by the way –Gothi needs me t' fetch some more dragon teeth from Death's Head Headland.

He cocked half his brow. "Dragon teeth? What do ya need dragon teeth for?" he questioned, looking down at the elder. Tilting his head, he read her reply aloud, "For jewelry an' for Trader Johann," he murmured. "Huh. Wouldn't expect him t' want somethin' like dragon teeth…"

"He probably trades 'em off t' other tribes or folk on the mainland," Thora told him. Grabbing a cloth, she used it to shield her hands from the heat of the metal as she picked up the kettle full of now-boiling tea. She filled each mug nearly to the top with the water before setting the kettle on the stones of the hearth. "So, aye, don't get too worried if I'm an hour or two late. I know the others are out, so I have t' use my own feet t' get there this time."

"Gee, what do ya think we did before Hiccup tamed the dragons?" he chuckled, reaching over and ruffling her hair. "I'll make sure t' save ya some dinner, lovey. An' make sure ya stay warm, aye? I don't want t' find ya turned into an icicle."

"Don't worry, da'," she chuckled, handing the honey-heavy mug to Gothi, "I'll be fine."

Thora was incredibly thankful Ruffnut had returned her cloak, because it was cold. The snow was knee-deep, but thanks to the snowshoes she wore, she was able to stay atop the white powder. Regardless, she was left wishing she had stopped by Silent Sven's farm to borrow one of his yak-drive sledges.

'Not that it would be much faster,' she thought, blowing a strand of hair from her face. 'Yaks can't walk on snow…' She winced as a snowflake was blown into her eye and she let out a curse as her eye began watering. 'Oh don't you even think about it, eyeball –I don't need ice covering my cheeks!' Scrunching her nose up, she did her best to wipe the tear away before it could fall, but the scratchy wool of her gloves did little to help.

Shaking her head, she adjusted the scarf she had tied around her mouth and nose and continued north. She had already covered over half the distance to Death's Head Headland and, as she squinted through the wind, she was able to see the forest looming ahead of her. A sigh of relief left her mouth and part of her mind urged her to go faster so as to reach shelter sooner, but the rest of her brain stopped her.

'I don't want to use all my energy up reaching the forest,' she told herself. 'Not when I still have to go to the dragon graveyard and all the way back to Berk. Ugh. If I had known the snow was this deep out here, I would have told Gothi to just wait for spring.'

At the thought of spring, her hand unconsciously rose up and felt for the necklace hidden beneath her many layers of clothes.

'But spring is when I leave Berk…and only the gods know how long I'll be gone.' She frowned under the scarf. 'Part of me wants to stay here on Berk; this is my home. But…I have brothers! Full-blooded troll brothers! And they said they'd be willing to teach me the magic they know…I should be ecstatic to meet them, especially since Sindri said they would tell me why my mother sent me away.

'But…is that something I really want to know? What if it was because she hated the mere sight of me? Or what if she hated the reminder of a night spent with a human?' She shook her head. 'No, that can't be it. Dad said she was the one who seduced him, not the other way around. And Sindri had said that dad was a great warrior, and warriors are pretty much revered everywhere, aren't they?'

A heavy sigh left her mouth and she shivered as a particularly strong blast of wind managed to blow her cloak open. Cursing, she quickly tugged it shut, not caring about the pain she felt in her arm. She grumbled to herself, still cursing the wind as it had taken all the warmth away from under the furry cape.

Thora suddenly froze, her eyes narrowing suspiciously, as she heard a strange rattling noise. Her brows furrowing, she cocked her head, trying to better hear the noise over the wind. It almost sounded like a bundle of dried, hollow sticks being bounced around and it was getting closer by the second…

Turning around, she found herself staring face-to-face with the enormous skull of a dragon.

Somehow, it still contained a pair of bright, green eyes and they were staring right at her.

Too shocked to move or cry out, Thora continued to stare at the dragon before her, her jaw having fallen slack. Rearing back, the dragon shook itself and she now knew the sound she had heard was actually that of rattling bones –almost the entire dragon was covered in bones. Thora was able to spot a few small, bare patches of brownish-green skin, however. She also took notice of how the dragon absolutely dwarfed her. The only dragon she had seen that was bigger was back on the Dragon's Nest.

"You're a Boneknapper," she mumbled, her eyes still wide as she watched it lean back down. It curiously sniffed her, making soft noises of concern as it did so. "Oh gods, please don't find my tail…I would really like t' keep that a dragon-free zone…"

It was then that she realized that this was a wild, untamed dragon –and one that wasn't well documented in the Book of Dragons. Biting her tongue, she watched as it continued to inspect her; despite the fishy smell of its breath, she welcomed the sniffing thanks to the warm air it exhaled. The wind was growing stronger and was beginning to bring snow with it, making it harder for her to keep her cloak closed.

'Maybe…Maybe I could try taming it?' she thought, taking notice of the wind. 'A blizzard is coming and I need a fast way home." She shivered, rubbing her arms under her cloak. 'Anyway, how hard can it be? Even Snotlout managed to tame a dragon and he has one of the crankiest breeds!'

Still biting her tongue, she slowly reached out her hand. The Boneknapper tilted its head, watching curiously as her palm drew closer and closer to the end of its snout. Before she could touch it, though, it hopped back a few yards and eyed her warily.

"I'm not goin' t' hurt you," she gently told it, hoping it could hear her over the wind. Crouching somewhat low to the ground, she kept her hand extended and slowly began to crawl forward. "I know my people have hurt yours in the past, but we're makin' up for it…Plus, I know o' a place where ya can get plenty o' new bones for your armor…"

The dragon cocked its head this way and that as it listened to her talk. An intrigued expression filled its eyes as Thora mentioned the place of bones and it lowered its head closer to the ground, flapping its wings slightly. There was a bit of suspicion in its green eyes as it stared at this strange, pointy-eared, long-toothed human, but there was no fear.

"With your help, we can get there right fast," Thora continued, clenching her eyes shut as the wind threatened to blow more snow into them. "An' then, if ya allow it, we can go t' my home where there are loads o' fish for all the dragons t' eat an' nice, warm spots for ya t' roost until this storm-" She cracked open an eye when she felt the warm, hard surface of the Boneknapper's outer skull press against her palm.

Smiling, she scratched the top of its snout, wondering if it could feel the sensation through the thick bone. It certainly felt something, because it turned its head, begging to get scritches under its jaw as well.

"There's a good dragon," she cooed, using both hands to scratch at the bone. "Now, will ya let me ride on your back?" She glanced up at its neck and back, wondering if it would even be possible –true to its name, it had all sorts of bones fused to its body and most of them stuck up in ways that made it seem impossible for the dragon to be ridden.

Somehow understanding her, the dragon spread its wings and lowered itself to the ground, letting her know that it accepted her. Before attempting to climb on, however, Thora pulled off her snowshoes and tucked them under her arm. Then, she began to the task of getting on the Boneknapper and finding a suitable seat. After some minutes of searching, she found a spot just between its wings that seemed like it would accommodate her and she clambered aboard, having some difficulties thanks to her injury and the snowshoes she carried.

Feeling Thora give a small pull on one of the external vertebrae, the Boneknapper took off into the air. It glanced back at her when she gave a yelp of surprise, but it was unable to read her expression through her scarf and the mess of hair blowing in her face. For now, it had to trust that she was alright –which she seemed to be, as she was able to guide it around to fly north.

'I can't believe I just tamed a Boneknapper,' Thora thought, her insides filled with a renewed sense of excitement and nervousness. 'Wait until Hiccup sees it! Wait until dad sees it! He'll finally be able to prove to Uncle Stoick that his adventures against a Boneknapper were real!' She let out a laugh, but the sound was lost to the wind.

'But…wait…' Her brows suddenly furrowed and she looked down at the dragon. 'Why would a Boneknapper be here on Berk? Was it looking for the dragon graveyard for more bones? Or did it get lost in this storm?' A panicked look came to her face and she quietly gasped. 'Or what if it's part of a herd and it got separated from its family because of the storm?!'

Biting her tongue, she gave the dragon a good scratch on the neck. "If ya do have a family out there, I want ya t' return nice an' safe t' it, alright? We'll stop an' get ya some new bones, then it's straight t' my home, where you'll get a nice, big dinner, and a warm place t' sleep.

"Whatever the reason for ya bein' here, I'll make sure ya stay safe for now," she quietly promised.

When a few days had passed and the storm had left Berk with a new foot of fresh snow, Thora fully expected to find the Boneknapper's –who was a female, according Gobber - roost empty and any trace of her gone from Berk. Instead, as she left her home that sunny morning, she was greeted by the dragon hopping from foot to foot with her wings slightly outspread, as if she were dancing in glee to see Thora. This had becoming a familiar, though still amusing, sight for the teen, as she had been received in the same fashion whenever she brought in the baskets of fish for her meals.

"Well, someone woke up in a good mood," she chuckled, reaching up and rubbing the dragon's snout. "I'm surprised t' see ya still here, girl –can't say I'm too torn up 'bout that, though." She quietly laughed as she was nuzzled affectionately.

Gobber limped out of the house, pinning his cloak around his shoulders. "Yep, lovey, I think you got yourself a keeper there," he told her, smiling as he shut the door behind him. "She seems t' like ya well enough, after all! Have ya come up with a name yet?"

She shook her head. "No, not yet. I'm wantin' t' make sure she actually stays before I come up with anythin'."

He shrugged, using his hook to scratch under the dragon's jaw. "If ya ask me, I'd say she's here for good, otherwise she would have left by now." With his hand, he flipped one of Thora's braids over her shoulder instead of ruffling her hair –he knew how long she had spent fighting her hair to get it into the two, somewhat uneven, braids. "So I'd start thinkin' o' a name for her if I were you. But, since I'm me, how 'bout I start on makin' ya a saddle for her, eh? Must be painful, ridin' on bone like that." He started to limp off, having to be careful as he walked thanks to hidden patches of ice.

She nodded. "Thanks, da'," she told him, moving to hop on the dragon. As she got situated, her brow rose –she could hear the sound of many wings approaching from above.

"Dude! Snotlout, you were right! She does have a skeleton for a dragon!"

"Why would you want a dead dragon? That kind of defeats the purpose of having a dragon if they're dead."

"You idiots, it's a living dragon covered in bones!"

"Exactly! That's because it's a Boneknapper. It uses the bones from dead animals and dragons as its armor, since Boneknapper don't naturally have their own, hardened scales to use. It's also a good intimidation factor, since most people do think them to be dead at first."

She watched as Hiccup and the other dragon riders landed in front of her house. Though she didn't admit it, she felt a bit of pride at having a dragon so much larger than theirs. Regardless of her size, though, the dragon stepped back at the sudden arrival of five other dragons.

"So, you finally tamed yourself a dragon, huh?" Hiccup chuckled, looking up from the back of Toothless. "And a pretty unique one at that."

Thora shrugged. "Eh, she found me, really. I was runnin' an errand for Gothi an' she literally came out o' nowhere. Don't know how or why she found her way t' Berk, but she did." She patted the Boneknapper's neck as she looked back at her, worry and fear in her eyes. "It's alright girl, they're friends –well, the Night Fury an' his rider are family."

"So she's a female Boneknapper, huh?" Astrid grinned. "Hear that, Fishlegs? Another girl on our team!"

"You may have a new friend, Meatlug!" Fishlegs cooed to his dragon, patting her atop the head. He glanced up at Thora. "How can you tell she's a female, though? The Book of Dragons doesn't say how to tell between male and female."

"Da' told me it was because she has big bones for armor. Apparently, the females like t' look larger or are larger than the males? Don't quite remember the reasonin' for that, but aye, the females get the biggest bones."

Snotlout snorted. "Right…your dragon's just fat under all those bones." He yelped in surprise and mild pain as Hookfang partially lit himself on fire, sending his rider leaping off of him into the snow. The Monstrous Nightmare gave an apologetic look to the Boneknapper.

"You're lucky I'm up here an' not down there," Thora told him, her tone dry and her brow raised. "What Hookfang just did would feel like a pinch compared t' how hard I would have socked ya."

Mocking her, Snotlout repeated what she said in an insultingly childish way. "Yeah right. You punch like Hiccup." Standing up, he wiped the snow from his backside before mounting his dragon once more.

She narrowed her eyes. "Want t' put that t' the test?" she growled, baring her teeth.

Tuffnut grinned gleefully. "Aw yeah! Surprise fight!" he cheered, punching his palm. "My money's on Thora!"

"All bets are doubled if she bites his ear off," Ruffnut added, leaning her elbows on the sides of Barf's horns.

"There isn't going to be a fight," Astrid sighed, smacking her forehead, "let alone ear biting. She's not Mikkel Týrson…"

"Yeah. We came here to learn about Berk's newest dragon," Hiccup reminded them. "For example! Thora, what have you named your Boneknapper?"

Her expression softening, she shrugged as she turned her attention to her cousin. "She doesn't have one yet. I'm thinkin' it's goin' t' have 'Dancing' in it, though, because she does an adorable dance whenever it's mealtime."

"Does she?" Fishlegs questioned, an excited look on her face. "Do you think it's a common trait among Boneknappers, or do you think it's unique to just her?"

"I, er, wouldn't know, t' be honest. She's the first Boneknapper I've met, though from da's stories, the one he met didn't dance…"

The twins, have slunk forward and draped themselves over their dragon's heads once they realized there wasn't going to be a fight, let out raspberries in unison. "So she dances," Ruffnut began.

"But can she sing?" Tuffnut continued. "We've met a singing Terrible Terror and let me tell you, sir: That thing was far more impressive than a dancing dragon."

Ruffnut grinned at the memory. "Yeah. That little guy really had an amazing set of lungs and quite the vocal range."

"We should have tried training him!" Tuffnut suddenly told her, look of regret on his face. "I just came up with the perfect name for him and everything! Daviþ Börgi."

Ruffnut cursed, lightly hitting her leg in frustration. "We should have!"

"Um…" Hiccup murmured, his brow raised at the twins' conversational tangent. He looked back at his cousin. "So, Thora, would you be willing to come to the academy for a little while so we can do some tests with your dragon? There isn't a lot of information in the Book of Dragons about Boneknappers, so it'd be nice to fill it in a bit…"

"Let me go check on Gothi first," she told him. "Then I'll meet ya over there. Sound good?"

Hiccup nodded. "Alright. See you in a bit then." He looked at the others, using a quick nod of his head to signal for them to take off.

Thora watched as the group took into the air, almost as if they were one entity. She quietly chuckled as they flew away and she leaned over, petting her dragon. "I really do need t' come up with a name for you…" she murmured. "But what? Bone Dancer? No…Food Dancer?" She snorted at how bad that one was. "Hmm…"

Pondering it over, she lightly pulled back on the vertebra and the Boneknapper took to the air. It was only the second time she had flown with this dragon; the blizzard had kept them both grounded the last few days. Knowing now that she could go flying any time she wanted left Thora feeling giddy all over again.

What made her even more excited, however, was knowing that she no longer had to walk up to Gothi's hut. But there was one, small problem: The landing was too small for the Boneknapper. If she had been the size of Toothless, maybe she would fit, but as it was, Thora was left to hop off while she was in the air. Reassuring the Boneknapper that she wouldn't be too long and that she could wait on a lower, wider landing, Thora turned and knocked on Gothi's door before entering.

She was greeted by the sight of the old woman sitting on a stool near the fire. Gothi was using a small shovel to pile coals atop a lidded pot and Thora knew she was baking something.

"Well, well –someone's feelin' better," she chuckled.

Gothi glanced up, a bit of amusement in her eyes. After finishing with the coals, she grabbed a fire poker and started writing in the ashes. 'And I see someone has finally found herself a dragon.'

Her cheeks turned a bit pink. "Did ya really see, or did someone come an' tell ya?" she asked.

'I saw the two of you arrive before the blizzard hit. I was not entirely sure that I had seen it correctly; as you know, I was sick at the time. I thought it was, perhaps, a fever dream –after all, how often does one see a dragon's skeleton flying?' She chuckled. 'I take it that it is one of those Boneknappers you have mentioned in the past?'

She nodded, pulling off her glove before feeling Gothi's forehead with the back of her hand. There was no longer a temperature, letting her know the elder was, indeed, healed. "Aye, she is. Hasn't got a name yet, though. Hiccup an' Fishlegs want t' do a few tests with her in the arena, so is it alright if I go do that before comin' t' my lessons?"

Scratching her chin, Gothi shrugged. 'I do not see why not. Oh! Before you go, however, take a few jars of burn ointment with you and leave them at the academy. I am growing tired of the visits from Spitelout's boy…he comes in here nearly every other night, beginning me to heal his singed backside.' She shook her head, frowning. 'If that fool learned to have more patience and less ego, he wouldn't be coming up here so often!'

Thora nodded in agreement. "No kiddin'…I almost got in a fight with him earlier because he was insultin' my dragon."

Gothi gave her a scolding expression. 'We need to work on your impulse control, child. You get into far too many altercations for being a future Völva. We are supposed to be the passive ones.'

Thora felt her cheeks darken in embarrassment. "Aye," she murmured, biting her tongue as she glanced away. "I know we are…but it's hard, 'specially when my friends or family are in danger…"

'We will discuss this later,' Gothi wrote. 'For now, go and do your tests. I do want you back here before noon, however, so you best hurry up and get over there.'

"Alright. Thanks for warnin' me," sighed Thora. "See ya in a bit." Leaving the hut, she peeked over the edge of the cliff only to see the Boneknapper looking up at her like a puppy seeing its owner. Smiling, she stepped back as the dragon took to the air.

Knowing it would be difficult for Thora to climb on from the front, she turned around, offering her tail as a sort of ladder. Her entire body bobbed up and down as she did her best to stay level with the hut, though she was able to feel Thora easily making her way along the stolen spinal column to her seat. Once her rider was seated, she flew higher into the sky, letting Thora steer her wherever she pleased.

"What do ya think 'bout the name 'Death Dance'?" Thora questioned after some minutes. She was taking the long way to the academy, enjoying the freedom of having her own dragon.

The dragon glanced back at her, making a pleased noise.

"Ya like that?" she chuckled, scratching the side of the Boneknapper's neck. "Well then, that'll be your name: Death Dance. Should strike some fear into any future enemies, eh?" Grinning, she finally steered Death Dance towards the academy.

A/N: Hey all! Just wanted to give you a little update on my mom, since last chapter I mentioned she was in the hospital for 10 days. She's back home now and nearly back to normal! Yaay! We just need to work on building her strength back up. Also, relating to the Sindri's letter: doesn't allow for strike-through formatting, so...just pretend that the words between dashes are scribbled out.

Now, to reply to last chapter's comments:

The Chicken: Poor Thora indeed! I'd pity almost anyone who had to endure Dagur's flirtations XD And don't worry, mom has been getting plenty of food -though not chicken soup :p she's not a fan.

just a random: I'm glad you enjoyed the interactions between Ylva and Bucket! I'm hoping I'll be able to sneak more of them in later on. And of course Bucket isn't an idiot! He's just...misunderstood xD

Anyway. With that, I hope you guys enjoyed this short lil' chapter! If you did, please leave a comment~ I'd love to know what you guys think of the story overall and if you prefer the shorter or longer chapters! Anything helps!