For the fifth time, stop using the comments to tell me to update other stories please! In any case, use the comments of THAT story in question, not of other stories I want to see FEEDBACK of. I will update when I can and when I have time to. I have OTHER stories that I need to focus on too, plus my real life is more important than any fanfiction I work on.
To those who don't know why I'm posting this on this story, some guests have been using the comment section of my newest story, A Crocodile's Journey, to tell me to update THIS story. I do not want that, I want to see feedback and opinions on each story I write to improve. Please, my dear readers, do not do that, and if you don't please discourage that behavior. I'm pretty certain no writer likes when people do that, and I don't need to be writing for certain selfish people.
And with that, on with the chapter.
The dragons had seen big trees before, but never this big.
Blueberry led them to a grove within the jungle that consisted mostly of ceiba trees, big enough to house a great colony of colorful Skybiters. Their nests, similar to that of birds, were built in the upper branches, a few even had eggs in it. Blueberry warned them, Hookfang especially, not to use any fire here or they could start a fire, and if they did, they'd be black-listed.
However, the were the center of attention as soon as they arrived. The Skybiters whispered amongst each other in their native language, others stared at the 'naked' dragons; a few hatchlings who were too curious by their own good were held back by their mothers.
Eventually they came to a clearing that houses the tallest ceiba in the area; its branches were filled with more bird-like nests.
"My nest is up there," Blueberry explained. "I hope nobody's claimed it…"
"Cool, but where are we going to sleep?" Hookfang inquired. "I don't know if you've noticed, but sometimes when I sleep I lit myself."
"Perhaps your humans will negotiate that with Nora's father," Blueberry explained.
"Morazul?" suddenly, a female Skybiter with pretty curves and canary yellow plumage landed a few feet from Blueberry with raised ears. "Morazul!"
"Lima!" Blueberry said with a joyful chirp. Both dragons walked closer a few inches, and then both started nibbling on each other's back. It was a sort of greeting among the Skybiters, he had explained earlier.
Soon after, many other Skybiters landed near Blueberry and proceeded to greet him too in excitement.
The Berk dragons didn't move from their spot for a few minutes, instead looking around and awing at the scenery. The war-painted Skybiters had landed on a nearby ceiba and were looking down at them apprehensively.
"So, what do we do?" Stormfly wondered.
Meatlug jumped when she felt something brushing her leg and took some alarmed steps back. A young Skybiter, much more younger than the ones they had seen, had nibbled her leg. Unlike the adult Skybiters, this one's pinkish white skin was still featherless in the tail and some areas in his legs. Even his wings seemed like they lacked some flight feathers.
"You're weird," he said outright, looking at Meatlug like she were a freak. "You're naked and fat."
Uh, oh. He had said the word.
"Fat?!" Meatlug snarled, but Hookfang jumped in front of her before she could pounce at the young feathered dragon.
"Tseze!" a female Skybiter, this one older and with full-body sky blue plumage suddenly came running, snarling at her offspring. "Te dije que no te acercaras a los extraños!"
"We don't mean to cause any trouble," Barf stated. "We're just here while out humans figure out what to do."
"Though you should teach your kid some manners!" Belch muttered. "You don't call Meatlug with the 'f' word!"
Unfortunately, the female Skybiter had no idea of what they were saying. She just exchanged her glance between Barf and Belch's two heads in shock before she picked her protesting fledgling by the neck and carried him away.
Goblin took a look around, and spotted many of the Skybiters they had brought back had reunited with their own kin. Indeed, there was an air of excitement and relief in the air.
Blueberry managed to go back to the group, followed closely by Lima, though she was staring at the Berk dragons oddly. "Que son ellos…?" she inquired.
"Son amigos," Blueberry explained. "Nos ayudaron a mi, Nora y a los demás a volver."
Whatever he said, it got Lima on a better mood. "Well, any friend of yours is a friend of mine!" she trotted over to them, wagging her tail. "My name is Lima! Who are you?"
"I'm Stormfly," Stormfly said politely and then pointed to her friends respectively. "These are Hookfang, Meatlug, Barf and Belch and Goblin."
"There's one more, but he's with our humans," Goblin added. "He's flightless."
"Well, guys, do you know how to dance?"
Hookfang tilted his head. "Dance? What's with the question?"
Before Lima or Blueberry could explain properly, a sound that seemed to be music started. Some Skybiters had short, thick sticks in their maws and were rhythmically bending them in unison to create the 'music'.
"The tribal dance is about to begin!" Lima said in excitement. "It's to celebrate the return of those we thought lost forever! Come along!" She jumped behind Goblin and started pushing him forward excitedly. Soon all the Skybiters-Blueberry included were in the air, so they had no choice but to join in even though they had no idea of what they were doing.
Ya vengan todos, a cantar en harmonía
Tan diferentes pero no en el corazón
Bellos colores a donde llega la vista
Oye el llamado y tus alas abre ya
The Skybiters painted their faces and the tips of their tails and wings; males used juice from blue or red berries, while females used pollen from pink or yellow flowers. Blueberry used red paint on himself while Lima used pink. The Berk dragons looked reluctant to do it, except for Meatlug, who eagerly rolled on top of some flowers and was soon turned into a big painting canvas of pink and yellow.
The dance consisted mainly on finding a dancing partner and then doing what seemed to be acrobatic movements in the air with each other, all in rhythm with the music, which now included the drum-like sound of tails hitting hollowed trees in the ground. Blueberry was dancing with Lima.
After watching for a few more minutes, the Berk dragons tried to join in, but a few troubles arose. For starters, somehow the dancing Skybiters managed to keep them 'out' of the circle, perhaps because they didn't trust them. It didn't stop Meatlug, though, who started doing her own circles in a much slower pace.
"OW!" Hookfang nearly fell when a Skybiter's talon accidentally came into contact with the back of his head. "Look were you're going!" he snapped, but the target had long disappeared between the festival of dancing colors.
"Well, how about we have our own dance?" Stormfly suggested playfully, and she dragged Hookfang away by the talon. Goblin likewise joined Meatlug, though his own movements were much more fluid and in rhythm.
Vengan a celebrar
A bailar y a reír
Sigueme al cantar
Lah lah bah bah boom boom
Blueberry had missed this. It had been a while since he partook in this dance and after being stuck in a cage and away from Nora he was enjoying himself. Over all, he was happy to be reunited with Lima.
He was brought out of his thoughts when Lima playfully flew over him and struck his head with her tail. He flew after her to get revenge but as he caught up, he had forgotten about it and had gone back to the dance.
A celebrar, somos hermosas criaturas
Bailar, cantar abriendo libre tus alas
Lah lah lah lah hoo hoo
Nuestra familia en la jungla
Lah lah lah lah hoo hoo
By then the whole flock had gathered in the center of the forest and had formed a sort of formation with the shape of a blossoming flower which seemed to come to life with the dancing Skybiters and the flurry of colors that came along with it.
Vengan hermosas criaturas
The dance finished with many of the Skybiters sending flower petals into the air and scattering them with their wing beats, which then erupted into cheers. The Berk dragons had landed on a nearby-and unoccupied-tree to recover their breath, and watched the scene unfold. These guys were surely lively.
Hookfang commented. "I don't know what Toothless is doing, but he surely missed quite the party."
Right now the group wished the dragons were there.
The long climb up the stairs was so long that halfway there they were already struggling to catch their breath and their pace slowed down, while Nora, her father and Semeel Jak walked up without any trouble at all. After what seemed like hours, they finally arrived at the top. Well, almost everybody.
"Why am I carrying you again?" Tuffnut groaned, struggling to keep up with his sister on his back.
"I told you, the next time we discover a new civilization and have to climb a thousand steps I will carry you." Ruffnut merely said.
"Almost… There…" Snotlout managed to pull himself into the final step, panting heavily after having lost about fie liters of sweat. "Why don't these guys have an elevator?!"
Even Hiccup and Astrid were so tired they didn't even bother to tell him to save his commentaries. Toothless didn't seem to have tired himself out that much, though he did wish for some cool water.
The Kuhul invited the group inside, much to their relief. If the architecture of the city was astounding, the accomodations were even better. The limestone walls were painted in bright red tones and had equally colorful murals depicting the jungle, Skybiters and many other unknown feathered dragons, the most prominent was the painting of the golden wing in the ceiling.
There were more people present, all of them clad in the luxuries of nobility, a woman and a boy a few years younger than Nora accompanied by soldiers clad in eagle-like clothing (eagle warriors, as Nora would explain later). The woman and the boy rushed to Nora and embraced her tightly.
The seats were surprisingly soft, made of patterned silk and filled with cotton and Skybiter down feathers. It was so comfortable Snotlout was tempted to fall asleep as soon as he plopped unto it, but was abruptly awoken by a kick from Astrid. The Vikings sat on one side, and the Kuhul on the other with his family. The titan wing Skybiter lay down lazily on a carpet with lots of cushions apparently put for him specifically. Toothless lay down near Hiccup.
The group proceeded to explain where they came from, how they found Blueberry and then Nora, then decided to accompany her back home to make sure she arrive safely.
"Once again I thank thee for bringing my daughter back," the Kuhul said with a nod "You're free to stay as long as necessary. If there's anything I can help you with, just ask."
"Can I take a look at your titan wing Skybiter?" Fishlegs chirped without thinking.
"Fishlegs!" Astrid scolded.
The Kuhul seemed surprised by the request. "Titan wing?"
Right. He probably wasn't familiarized with the terms they used. "Titan wing is a dragon in a stage of its life where it has become larger, stronger and with certain characteristics a normal dragon wouldn't have."
"I see," the Kuhul glanced at his dragon and made a guttural sound similar to a low growl. The golden Skybiter perked up its ears, stood up and walked closer though it seemed annoyed at being made to move. The Kuhul looked at Fishlegs again. "You may examine him, but do not touch him." he warned.
Fishlegs squealed in delight and five seconds later he was sketching the golden Skybiter in the Book of Dragons.
"Kuhul, that priest referred to my dragon as a… camazot-something." Hiccup stated. "What did he mean?"
This time it was the kuhul's wife who explained. "Camazotl, the offspring of the bat god Camazotz," she said eyeing Toothless warily. "Harbringers of night, death and sacrifice."
"At least they have something in common with Night Furies…" Snotlout muttered.
"Wait, you mean you've seen more like him?" There was a hopeful air in the question.
"No one has ever seen a Camazotl and lived to tell the tale," Kuhul responded. "What little information we have comes from the Popol Vuh."
Ruffnut and Tuffnut snickered. "That sounded like poop,"
"Maybe it's some kind of poop?"
"Then it should be called poopool vuh."
Heather decided to change the subject before the Kuhul figured out what that meant. "Nora mentioned someone has been robbing Skybiters of their habitat. Have you seen dragon hunters around?"
There was an uncomfortable silence afterwards. Nora stood up and led her younger brother away, despite his protests of being a 'man now'. Once his children were gone, the Kuhul spoke. "A few months ago strangers arrived. They wore clothing like yours, but they arrived in great canoes from the great waters, and their dragons were in chains and cages. They raged through the jungle when they came upon the Skybiters, and have been hunting them down ever since."
"Even the great Ala Dorada is in risk because of those strangers." The woman added.
"You mean the big golden dragon that looks like a giant eagle?" Astrid inquired.
"You've seen one?" the wife looked surprised.
"Oh, we certainly saw one when he nearly killed us!" Snotlout said yelling and waving up his arms. "Just ask Fishface over there, he was nearly taken!"
The kuhul and his wife stared at Fishlegs with both surprise and awe, at least the others thought they were awed. Fishlegs momentarily interrupted his examination when he noted the glances. "Is something wrong?"
"Whoever is snatched by the ala dorada possesses a great spiritual power," The kuhul stated firmly. "Legend says that when an ala dorada snatches a person in its claws, the gods have something in store for the."
"Which gods are we talking about again?" Tuffnut asked. "I mean, Nora said it's supposed to be a messenger, but for which gods? There's our gods, and your gods."
"Or is it a messenger for all gods?" Ruffnut added. "Like a direct line?"
"Do not take the will of the gods as a game, twins." Semeel Jak said sternly.
"In which area have you seen those strangers?" Hiccup asked. "We could help you. We've dealt with dragon hunters before, and from what Nora said, Skybiters will not survive in cold climates."
The Kuhul nodded. "Seemel Jak shall give you more information about that issue later," he motioned to the jaguar warrior, who bowed in agreement. "But for now just relax. You've had a long journey and you'll need your strength for tonight's celebration."
One of the lesser-dressed people came in and bowed as he offered gold cups to the Kuhul and his wife. "What's that?" Heather inquired.
"It's a sacred cocoa drink," the Kuhul explained as he took a sip. "Usually it is reserved only for the nobles, but given the circumstances…" he motioned to the servant, who bowed quickly and left.
"Mi señor, I'm not sure if it's a good idea," Seemel Jak stated. "Outsiders might not have the palate to bear the taste…"
"Come on, we've tasted worst things, so bring it on!" Snotlout cried out. The others were wise enough not to go into details with that, especially when Astrid gave him an annoyed glare.
A few seconds later more ceramic glasses with the famous drink were brought and handed out to the Vikings. Toothless sniffed it; his nose wrinkled when he felt a very spicy smell that made his nostrils itch. Sadly, the humans didn't heed that warning and tasted it.
They instantly regretted it.