Hey, everybody, sorry for the wait. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, and I'm glad to see you guys enjoyed my original chapters. Now we can continue with the story, and here's the good part, where we get to the timeskip! This is where things start to get juicy!
All rights to Httyd belong to Cressida Cowell and DreamWorks. All OCs and original story belong to NightShade248.
A black shape zoomed with incredible speed across the surface of the ocean, the waters parting in the wake of its wings and ever-building acceleration. Drops flew apart into the air like the sparks from a sharpened sword or axe blade against the grindstone. It was a dragon, jet black with sharp green eyes, with ropes, cables and straps around its body connected to its saddle.
Atop it was a human lying against its back on his stomach, clad in black leather armor atop a brown vest and green tunic, with belts and wrappings around his waist, stomach, and legs including a holster. On his arms were leather gauntlets with numerous straps and fingerless gloves, and cylindrical spools on the bottom. A leather boot was on one foot, while his other was a wooden mount with a metal attachment locked onto the modified stirrup on the left side of the dragon. His face was covered by a black mask that covered every part of his face but his eyes.
He was holding tightly onto the steering bar attached to the saddle, steering the dragon like a captain would a ship, using his leg to make adjustments to the dragon's red tailfin at a moment's notice exactly as the dragon shifted in another direction. They barrel rolled underneath a row of Thunderdrum dragons swimming nearby, leaping out of the water like fish in a frenzy. As the Thunderdrums reached the highest point of the jump, the black dragon side twirled through, barely even grazing their bellies and dodging their spread out wings entirely. They continued to navigate through the school after pulling out of their rolls, moving forward and back, left and right around them, gliding up along their arched spines.
Not a single movement was wasted, each one melded with the last and the next in a fluid dance of aerial grace. The rider soon readjusted himself into a sitting position as his dragon flew up high into the sky; they fell back down with a massive smile and a roar of joy from the dragon, dropping through the air and feeling the rush of the wind against their backs. The dragon pulled back up effortlessly in a quick ascension back up into the clouds.
The rider wordlessly adjusted a lever along the stirrup with his prosthetic leg while pulling up another lever on the side, locking the tailfin behind in place. He unclipped himself from the saddle, and pressed his hands down on it before leaping up and placing his feet atop. Crouching down, he soon straightened himself and stood completely upright, placing one foot forward and bringing out his arms slightly to maintain his balance. The black dragon looked back at him with a slightly annoyed look but the rider only returned it with a wink; they continued to soar through the clouds, surfing along their shapes and grinding against the moving air currents like rails, gaining slight altitude though the dragon could only glide.
With the escape of those currents, they performed all kinds of tricks, such as spinning like a pinwheel while the rider grasped the bar on the saddle, or hopping up while the dragon spun in place before landing down on its realigned body. Such techniques were performed with the skill and expertise of a master snowboarder, using wind in the place of curved snowy mountains.
The rider finally ended with a leap off the saddle and down into the clouds, the black dragon diving down right after him. They spun together in unison with one another, looking at each other with bright, excited eyes. Miles before the ocean's surface approached, the rider focused towards it, and pulled a string along the side of his pants, grabbing the leather that suddenly appeared. The leather spread out in the form of makeshift wings that caught the air and pulled him back upwards. The dragon followed suit by opening his wings up and leveling back up with his rider; together they glided through the sky with the clouds surrounding them at every turn. The rider pressed a button on his suit that engaged a dorsal fin on the back of his armor, allowing him to further control his flight pattern.
The rider looked back at his dragon, who offered him a curious, playful look and zoomed forward until he was right behind him; the two soon dove for the sea below, parting before they could ram into a breaching wild Scauldron who dove back into the water after a wide leap like a whale.
They approached a large rock sticking out of the water, and at the first sight of it, the rider pressed his fingers against a pad on the palm of his gloves, activating the mechanism inside his coils. The two shot out strong metal cables that hooked onto the stone feet above his current altitude; pressing the coils again caused them reversed the rotation and caused them to retract, but the stuck hooks only engaged the retraction from the opposite end. The rider was instead pulled up towards the hooks, shot forwards by the pull of the cables.
Once at a high enough position, he gave a sharp yank and pulled the hook right out of the rock, bringing out tiny bits of rock as well, pulling the cables back in completely and leaving him to fall squarely into the saddle of the dragon, who had sped into the exact position. He reattached himself into the saddle and pulled the levers back again, shifting the fin and pulling up on the bar, adjusting the dragon's body to rotate on his side and swing up along the surface of the rock, mere inches from it, spiraling upward and landing on its top in perfect condition.
The top of the rock was covered in soft grass with bits of rock sticking out; there were tall pine trees standing right behind them that gave the strong fresh scent of healthy growth. The rider fell from the saddle and tucking his leather wings back into his armor before kneeling down upon the ground. He then triggered a small crank on the side of his prosthetic leg, working the metal cuff and the coil inside that switched the riding hook with another metal foot with cleats attached to the bottom.
He rose back to his feet while his dragon licked his paw and cleaned himself, taking off his helmet and revealing his matured face. He had long, thick auburn hair that extended down to his neck, radiant forest green eyes, and a hardened jawline and cheek bones that showed evident signs of adulthood. He shook his head to clear any more stray strands of hair from his face.
This was none other than Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, and his dragon, the legendary Night Fury Toothless, the pair that brought peace between man and dragons.
Hiccup took one look at the vast scenery before him: a foggy landscape across the ocean of grassy hills and autumn trees with maple leaves in all hues of red, orange, and yellow, with two large mountains in the distance. He inhaled with a deep breath that filled his strengthened chest.
No longer the scrawny, lightweight, puny excuse for a Viking he used to be, he was still smaller than most, but he still stood taller than some, his voice deepened, and now he was in much better shape. Hiccup was very glad that he lacked the overbearing quantities of bulk, mostly fat, that most other Vikings had. Like Toothless, his body was now lithe and strongly defined with pure muscle tone, biceps and abdominals among other muscles standing out upon an athletic-shaped figure.
His stronger body was a perk, but Hiccup was more than happy he also maintained his powerful intelligence, which had only grown more so with everything that had happened. Vikings could barely even keep up with him in conversation anymore, especially anyone on Berk, that was for sure. He let out a sigh, releasing the breath he had stored earlier and deflating his chest, calming him and relieving some of the pressure he had inside.
"Ah, where does the time go?"
To say the last six years were eventful would be the understatement of the century.
So much was happening in Hiccup's life, he though at times it was just some crazy dream. Six years ago he and Toothless had slayed the Red Death, the unnatural instigator of their 300-year-long war. Now that it was gone, Hiccup had to prepare for the next great challenge: adapting dragons to Viking society. There were plenty of problems, what with the dragons swiping food from wheelbarrows, crashing through buildings and caving in roofs when landing, and of course the showers of dragon dung that came around the same time every day.
The Bone Heads were knowledgeable in some part with handling dragons thanks to Hiccup's lessons, but with this many problems and more coming from just as many dragons, they were at their wits' end. Their food supplies were running severely low with so many more mouths to feed, and houses were breaking down faster than they could build them; it was almost as bad as the raids, some thought. Hiccup was overwhelmed with all the complaints and questions he had been bombarded with each day, and Toothless had to wrestle through throngs of Vikings just to get some alone time with his boy.
Thankfully, Hiccup was able to figure out a way to channel their natural wild behavior into more productive ends, and things became that much easier. He assigned groups of new dragon riders out into the seas around Draak to help with the fisherman – their fire blasts and ability to fly over to large gatherings of fish allowed them to catch ten times as much as they had before with less than half the work, easily satisfying both species with a near week's catch for both.
Perches made from refined logs with stone supports were built over the houses so the dragons could land safely and securely, and their dragon dung, which was discovered to be an excellent fertilizer, was redirected to fall upon the farmers' crops, resulting in more bountiful harvests with rich tasting vegetables and grains.
The Bone Heads had so much food on their hands, they hardly knew what to do with it, save for hold a grand banquet in celebration of Hiccup's sheer genius. It was on the night of said banquet that Hiccup decided to announce plans for a Dragon Training Academy, where prospective students could learn more about dragon abilities, behavior, habitats, and of course learning to ride them. Having new dragons brought into the Academy would also warm them up to the idea of human riders and get them more comfortable around the Vikings.
Hairke and the Bone Heads unanimously agreed to the arena, and set up the Academy in the old Kill Ring, the only place big enough to hold multiple dragons and people. Hiccup and Alta were elected to be the teachers and owners of the Academy, and they had droves of applicants for the first day, including the other teens.
Hiccup was glad beyond measure to see these major steps towards progress, yet he couldn't help but feel empty somewhere inside. It was strange, to say the least, but despite everything that had happened, there was some voice screaming at him in his head saying he needed something more.
It was around the time of his 15th birthday that he discovered what was nagging him so: staring up at the sky with all the different dragons reminded him of the day he had first left Berk with Toothless. He had remembered deciding that the two of them would travel the world seeing everything that there was to see and finding all kinds of new adventures and dragons. It made him realize that the need to explore hadn't left him, and over the course of days it had only grown stronger.
He realized that what he was looking for was something he could truly call his own, that he could devote his entire soul to. He wanted to protect the new peace he had created with his own hands and create a place that he and all his loved ones could consider a home. He had had a long discussion with Hairke about it, wondering based on Hairke's strong reluctance if the chief had developed some kind of personal connection to him, and Alta was even more reluctant once she had heard about it.
Eventually, they came around to the idea to some degree once they saw how badly Hiccup wanted to do this. A boy needed to broaden his own horizons, Hairke said, and so he helped Hiccup prepare his supplies for a long trip.
Hiccup said he would be gone for about three years, but he swore he would return. That promise, everyone figured was most likely made to Alta specifically, who was about ready to tie Hiccup to her house to keep him from leaving.
He decided to take Alvis with him, wanting to share the world's majesty with his son as he promised, even if the child wouldn't remember it. Hiccup remembered the big sendoff he and Toothless had been given, a huge gathering in the village's square with dragons giving him fond nuzzles that Toothless had to drag him away by the shirt from. Vikings gave him pats on the shoulder and slaps on the back, making him swear to tell them all about his travels once he returned. With their wishes of good luck and his promise to them that he would indeed return, they set off, gods only knew where they would end up.
Hiccup's travels over the three years took him to several exotic places, with all manner of different cultures and people, everything so new and different, right down to the food they ate and clothes they wore.
There were lands with tall, spire like buildings with pink blossoms on the trees, places with buildings made of stone, including massive castles, places covered entirely in sand with buildings risen from the earth itself, and more.
And the dragons, so many dragons.
He had seen dragons with long whiskers and manes of fur who could manipulate the weather to form rain showers gusts to benefit the crops of farmers.
There were dragons that could emit colorful streams of fire and appeared to dance as they flew through the sky.
There were even human-shaped dragons who could wield fire in their claws as well as with their breath, and carried a greater knowledge than anything Hiccup though possible. In several lands he met each of these creatures, studying them, interacting with them, learning from them, even befriending them. Dragons from all over the world were willing to swear allegiance to him and follow him wherever he went. By his very nature, he seemed to truly be a master of dragons.
The people, once they had come to witness this, would come to either fear or worship him as a god, even fighting each other to ensure he got the respect he deserved. The struggle to ensure wars were not fought on his behalf was very real, he recalled with some humor.
Hiccup had experienced several adventures in the course of his travels – he conquered another dragon comparable to the Red Death and freed an entire country from its tyranny, traveling through a whole continent and seeing multiple towns and cities along the way, and joining the Royal Guard of a kingdom and partaking in missions to defend its borders. He lived in a village where homes were built in the trees, found libraries filled with numerous records of worldly knowledge, and perhaps most importantly, opened so many people's eyes to the wonders of dragons.
He in turn had learned everything from combat to philosophy, to blacksmithing to advanced academics and leadership tactics. Each place had some new take on a subject, and considering it from every point of view, opening his eyes to the limitless possibilities on drove Hiccup ever further. It was all amazing in Hiccup's view, almost enough to keep him and his companions moving forward to the end of the world itself, seeing all there was to see. What he wouldn't give to be able to explore until the day he drew his final breath.
All his teachers were nothing short of astounded at the sheer level of determination he had shown in his days of training. His fierce dedication to his goal had allowed him to master fighting techniques, levels of arithmetic and sciences, and forging styles that others took weeks to learn in days, advancing quicker than most of his peers. He had probably attributed it to the limited amount of time he gave himself, but others pointed towards the fact that in those days he would train and develop proficiency and skill up to the point where his body and mind threatened to break. Toothless and Alvis were both concerned at his pushing beyond his limits, but at the same time were brimming with pride every time they saw him.
Still, he had another life waiting for him, and he knew he couldn't turn his back on it: in fact, his time in these foreign lands had inspired all sorts of improvements for the village. Various new ideas for renovation leading to more comfortable lives and for weapons for himself, and he couldn't wait to try them out. Nor could he wait to show everyone his new skills.
Eventually, they had returned to Draak, to the surprise of everyone when they had seen him with another whole army of dragons from across the world. It was a warm reunion, and Hiccup was happy to see that everything had somehow managed to hold together. The dragons had kept their behavior together and several new pairs of dragons had been made, especially among the younger generation.
Everyone was utterly fascinated by all the treasures he had brought from the distant lands, and were enthralled by the stories of where he had been and what he had seen. It was a true relief for the several worlds he had seen and been a part of to come together so easily, the dragons from the distant lands getting along well with the dragons of his homeland. Now he could set into motion all that he had planned for the future, and it turned out to be a bright future indeed.
His former title of 'Hiccup the Useless' had been all but forgotten, now he was known to the people of Draak as 'Hiccup the Dragon Whisperer.' The man who could call out and thousands of dragons would heed him and charge into battle on his command, who could bend dragons to his will with a single outstretched hand.
Twenty years old now and nowhere to go but up, Hiccup had risen from what he once was and stood to achieve true greatness, more so than any before him. As one with the dragons, one with his no longer crazy, mixed up feelings, Hiccup felt alive for the first time, and finally happy.
Hiccup had to wonder, looking back at it all, how it was all possible for the incompetent little hiccup he used to be. Runts like him never made it far in life before they ended up biting the dust. Obviously no one had any faith in him from the beginning, but now Berk and all the pain it brought him was but a distant memory or a disillusioned nightmare.
Now Hiccup had a beautiful wife in Alta, married to her for the last two years and still so very much in love with each other. Ever since that night they first kissed, Hiccup had never felt so empowered or energetic – he guessed that was a typical man thing, feeling like you could touch the sky or walk on water once you got kissed. She was his number one supporter when he had first started up the Dragon Academy, and writing the Book of Dragons 2, telling all about dragon training secrets and the best way to befriend and raise each species. The book became their primary teaching tool for most of their classes, and new additions were constantly being added based on their lessons.
When Hiccup came back from his long trip, admittedly she was pretty sore at him, refusing to talk to him for weeks, no matter how much he pleaded and pestered her. Girls really didn't like it when a guy hung them out to dry, another hard lesson about relationships he had to learn.
Still he couldn't help but notice her staring at him from time to time, unable to resist how jaw-droppingly attractive he had become. It was when several other girls their age started making moves of their own that she stepped up, dragging him out into the woods again. It was an awkward and uncomfortable conversation, filled with shouting, but they eventually forgave each other, and picked up the pieces from there.
She understood why he did it and why he felt he had to do it, no matter how much it hurt her to see him go, but she came to realize it didn't matter anymore now that he was back. They had managed to fall in love with each other all over again, although they had to keep their relationship a secret, Hiccup being unsure how anyone would react. It was going fine until Ruoy had somehow managed to find out about it, probably by spying, Hiccup figured, and started spreading rumors and gossip, which passed along to Hairke eventually.
Hiccup thought he was as good as dead right then and there, but managed to breathe again when Hairke more or less approved of their relationship, at least, once they had an open discussion about it. From then on, people started to respect the young couple, and came to celebrate the day when they had gotten married; even Hairke joined in, as uncomfortable as he was. But that was just his fatherly concern, no dad wanting to let their little girl go; Hiccup saw those kinds of feelings during several of the weddings he was invited to.
Things were going great for the young couple since, and had only gotten even better the moment Hiccup discovered Alta was pregnant with their first biological child. He couldn't wait for the day their child was born, which was sure to be any day now.
Of course, even the promise of a new child could never make Hiccup forget about his first, Alvis, who had grown up to be quite the energetic young boy. He loved playing around with all the dragons and kids his age, the former hostility and hate of his elders an unknown concept for him. Having traveled with his father and Toothless throughout the world and seeing Hiccup grow had turned out to be a very positive experience for him, developing the intelligence his adoptive father had. Then, coming back to see what Hiccup had accomplished before they had departed while he was still a baby and hearing of his struggles and sacrifices left him seeing Hiccup in a new way.
Alvis had always loved his father, but now he outright idolized him – Hiccup was his greatest hero, and it always made Hiccup's heart soar when he heard his child say he wanted to be just like him when he grew up. Hiccup had made sure to give him all the attention and affection his father had failed to give him, and with his sixth birthday now coming up, he had to find some way to top the other five.
And if that wasn't enough for the young man, Hiccup now had many friends among Draak, namely the other teens that came to his rescue six years ago at the nest. Now they all had dragons of their own, and he loved having them as part of his classes at the academy. They were all loyal to their riders, of course, but every dragon on the island followed and obeyed him and Toothless without question or doubt. To the dragons, they were known as the Saviors, their twin alphas and protectors, and a debt of gratitude from a dragon was a very serious thing indeed.
Everything was going great, up until one day: Hairke had announced that he was planning to retire from his position as chief, and he had already chosen a successor. Him.
It seemed Hiccup was going to be the chief of a tribe after all, though he had to admit, it came as a massive shock to him at first. From shock of course, came those old cold feet again; Hiccup didn't think he was chief material, against everyone else's opinion. By now, a vast majority in the village thought he would make the perfect chief: regardless of his reservations he had really proven himself with everything from his training dragons to training himself to recreating Draak as they knew it.
In fact, Ruoy was really the only one who complained about it, since everyone had been talking about him being chief before Hiccup even arrived, and he certainly wasn't blind to having been losing favor ever since. He had been the number one prodigy, and he wasn't ready to lose it all to some outsider, even if he was a big time hero/celebrity, but that was to be expected, although he did let it go eventually once he had gotten to bonding with his own dragon.
Even with everyone and everything now on his side, Hiccup still had reservations about the whole thing; being chief didn't matter to him, in fact he hardly saw himself as a leader, having meetings, solving daily problems, it just didn't seem right. All he really needed was his family, his wife, son, and Toothless – with them he could conquer anything.
"So, why does this seem so impossible?" Hiccup asked his own thoughts.
The only answer came in the form of Toothless, who came up to his side and nuzzle his arm. His Night Fury had undergone some growth of his own over the years: even kneeling on all fours he could reach up to Hiccup's chest. His body had gotten longer, larger, and more developed, his muscles more powerful and more prominent spines growing along the backs of his legs and his head and tail. His wingspan had gotten much greater, and his tailfin could cover a small child like Alvis completely with just one fin. Spending so much time with Hiccup had also enlightened him to more human mannerisms, shown in how he suddenly gave a light, playful 'punch' with his clenched claws.
'I didn't think stuff like this would faze you, compared to everything else you've gotten through.' He said in a rumble.
Hiccup sighed and plopped himself down on the ground, laying his head down on the grass. "I guess I'm just… bummed out we didn't have more time for stuff like… this." What he could define as 'this,' if he could put it all into words, was everything: flying, exploring, childhood things. He had to admit, the sadness and isolation he felt while he was on Berk didn't give him much of one. He felt like his life had actually begun on that day he came back to Draak beaten from the battle with the Red Death. And he had so little time to figure things out ever since.
"Toothless, just who am I?" He had to wonder. He wasn't the cold stone of a man his father was, and he never knew his mother since no one ever told him about her. In fact, any kind of mention of her left people in a bad mood and more willing to avoid him than usual. All he wanted was answers.
'You're Hiccup, the Dragon Whisperer, Savior of Dragons, leader of men, and my best friend.' Toothless warbled, laying his large head down on Hiccup's chest, just looking at him with those adoring eyes.
Hiccup just looked back at him and rubbed his head absentmindedly. "You really think I'm ready for this, bud?"
'I know you are.' Toothless' look spoke for him, and right out of the blue, he started showering him in a barrage of slobbery dragon licks, a small one on the chin before the onslaught began. Hiccup groaned in frustration and rolled out of the Night Fury's grip, landing on his feet and shaking off the drool.
"You KNOW that doesn't wash out!" He complained, with Toothless giving a throaty dragon laugh in response. He swatted the dragon spit right onto Toothless' face before climbing back in the saddle with Toothless cleaning himself and licking his paw again.
"All right then," he said with a sigh, "if it's a one-legged dragon rider they want for a chief, it's a one legged dragon rider they'll get." Toothless's eyes sparkled and he let out an excited bark. His best friend Hiccup, chief of a human tribe; who would have thought? He spread his wings wide and they took off again, making their way back to the village on Draak.
As Hiccup and Toothless were flying across the ocean to get back home, he briefly wondered how Berk was doing. He tried not to think about it much, mostly because remembering such bitter times there just gave him a headache. They all figured he would have reached the pinnacle of his potential once his title changed to 'Useful.' Sure he got recognition there for a little while, but that was only when they figured he was finally starting to be like them; it sickened him to know how they frowned on individualism. If someone wasn't a bloodthirsty killer like them, they might as well have been an insect.
"They probably threw a party when I left," Hiccup said out-loud, bitterly, tightening his grip on the saddle bar. "I bet they were all so glad to have me out of the picture. Especially Dad."
Toothless nodded his head in agitation, snarling as he could just picture all the ways they'd hurt his Hiccup. 'I can't believe how they'd treated you. From everything you told me, I'm surprised you didn't ditch those jerks a long time ago.'
Hiccup scoffed in agreement. "If they could only see me now, a dragon rider, married to a great woman, with a son, a new baby on the way, and soon-to-be chief of a major tribe. Heh, I'd love to show them." He shook his head and chuckled softly. "I'd love to show them how a hiccup ended up becoming the greatest Viking alive."
He looked from their general direction down to his companion and gave him a pet on the head. "And you too, Toothless. If only they could see you, the only known living Night Fury. Oh, the looks on their faces, I can just picture them."
'Hey, come on, you've got more important things to think about.' Toothless said as they reached the shores of Draak, flying all the way to the village. To a newcomer, they would not believe what they'd be seeing.
Though raids never hit Draak as often as they did on Berk, they still hit hard, and that meant Vikings had to rebuild their homes here like they did anywhere else. Of course, that also meant that Vikings were good at rebuilding their homes fast, really, it was like second nature to them. It was a good thing, too, otherwise all the upgrades around the village would not have been possible to make in such a short time, and with Vikings and dragons now working together, and things got done at record-breaking speed, near triple the work done in half the time.
And now, with the wars a thing of the past, many homes had undergone major remodels, some being two or three stories high, and with greater attention to detail and sturdiness. There were new systems of pumping warm water into the homes to keep them warm during cold winter nights. Houses were lined with perches that had been updated from the ones that were originally built six years ago: some were attached to the sides while others lined up along pairs of houses. Perches could also be found on the sides of the Viking totem poles that lied near the edge of the island. The perches on the houses all had buckets of water attached to them, ready to turn down in case of errant fire blasts, part of a system of aqueducts designed specifically for fire prevention.
The buckets all over the island were connected to several reservoirs to constantly refill them with water, not the least providing of which was the large massive one that stood near the village plaza. The rainwater that the foreign dragons provided for watering crops always helped in keeping these reservoirs full at all times, and they also served as a good source of drinking water. The house built on the side of the rock where the main reservoir was built was where some of this water was channeled to serve drinking needs thanks to an indoor water wheel with buckets that could produce gallons of drinking water in half a day.
Also standing in the plaza and in other places were massive feeding stations for the dragons; while some were simply large barrels with open bottoms for the fish to pile out on and others had dispensers shaped like Viking mouths. The main one in the main square was the most impressive: a massive dragon-operated bowl of fish connected with three smaller bowls of water with a main gear in the center and connecting bars. By pressing their feet against a lever, the water poured out via dragon shaped tubes into small bowls near the bottom that they could drink from, and cranking the lever on the gear produced fish in the bottommost bowl to eat.
A personal favorite was the grooming stations, though: near the edge of the plaza were several stations filled with small perches, rotating bars with numerous brushes, spiked rollers, and canopy-styled holes filled with coals that were constantly heated with fire and billows built inside. Dragons could use the brushes or have their riders scratch them at the Viking operated stations to wash and groom them, they could use the rollers to shed off itchy dead scales, and finally relax in the hot coals while being gently shaded.
The coals were an excellent way to relax and ease muscle tension, which was all but given considering how heavy their riders were; there were even tracks along one particular dual coal pit which could be refilled with new coals again and again. Hiccup remembered how positive the reaction to the grooming stations were; he had gotten nuzzled and licked so much from so many dragons it's a wonder he wasn't crushed and drowned in a pool of slobber.
Some of the more notable changes could be found in the numerous farmhouses around the village, some large enough to house ten dragons at one time. There were numerous levels and openings on each side, and pulleys were there to bring in new hay for the nests inside. The children loved the farmhouses too: their construction was so expansive, with their numerous levels and passages they were always lots of fun to play in.
The numerous tunnels that had been constructed by the Whispering Deaths and other Boulder class dragons for shelter had been converted into underground stables and enclosures sprawled out all over the caverns with plenty of openings made just so they could get out and spread their wings. There were all kinds of pocketed spaces for dragons of every type and temperament, and there were also saddle racks for Vikings to place saddles on. This space was meant for new dragon arrivals or dragons that had yet to find riders: they could rest in cozy spaces until a suitable rider was found for them, and the saddle racks all over made sure that new pairs were always ready to go.
Built along the sides of the island along the cliffs were the large dragon hangars for the majority of the Draak dragons – the main one was built similarly to a large-scale version of a normal triangle-shaped Viking home. It had a large runway for taking off, side exits for Vikings coming and going, automated storm doors, and a water delivery system for cleaning purposes. Other types of hangars looked more like birdhouses with numerous levels and doors, built to pacify the more fussy dragons.
A lot of things around the new Draak were automated now powered by the many windmills and waterwheels built around the island, atop and alongside the rocks surrounding them to the sides of houses and even the docks. One windmill was even built over a small house filled with all kinds of crazy machines, operating pulleys that sent sacks of supplies down to the village.
The windmills themselves had a unique design, shaped like the wings of dragons, and they were powered by the very same source. It was truly ingenious of Hiccup to take the natural occurrence of dragons flying around daily and the waves hitting the island and turn that into a new power source. Not the least of which that was powered by these windmills and waterwheels was the blacksmith's shop turned Dragon Armory.
This was pretty much the nerve center of the place, designing everything from custom made saddles to fit each rider and dragons' needs and preferences to making fire-proof riding gear to counteract some of the more hazardous abilities. Thanks to the shop's large size, there was all sorts of room for the mechanisms and operating systems built in to move tools and supplies automatically. This made the ever-increasing demand of dragon-riding gear all the easier to fulfill.
The shop was actually split into two halves: where the front served as the armory, the back served as a sort of dragon hospital. Using the same systems, this side was dedicated to curing every kind of dragon malady from sprained wings to even missing limbs, designing prosthetics and wing slings for them and even their riders, of course. They also helped to fix dragon teeth, which was more of an everyday thing due to all the stuff that accidentally ended up in a dragon's mouth.
Constructed on the side of the island near the Academy were the bleachers, large rows of wooden seats with colorful banners of dragons supported by pillars that extended down to the shallow ocean waters below. There were seats on two sides, while in the center was a large fence with a seat in the center reserved for the chief. Bleachers, to some, might seem like an odd addition, but it was perfectly necessary for villagers to watch the island's new favorite sport: dragon racing.
Because the wars had long since ended, the Vikings and dragons both found themselves with large amounts of excess energy and tension that they didn't know what to do with. And mere construction projects weren't exactly enough to satisfy this need. Somehow, Hiccup had gotten the idea for the game while riding Toothless to chase a sheep that somehow found itself flung around everywhere.
The game was simple: competitors would catch sheep ejected from a catapult and complete a lap around the island before dropping it into their basket near the bleachers. A sheep could be stolen by the rider using a hammer to shoot a leather, wool-stuffed ball at the dragon causing them to drop the sheep, or by snatching them out of the opponent riders' hands outright although this tactic was entirely optional by the players. Each sheep in a pair's basket counted as one point, and the first to ten points would be declared the victor. At some point they would launch out a special black sheep, which served as a major game changer: the black sheep counted as ten points instantly, so whoever managed to bag it received an instant win.
The competitive drive shared by both species usually made for some fierce and amazing games, even if the sentiment wasn't shared by the sheep. It started out as simply a way to blow off steam before eventually evolving into a full-scale sport that raged in full tournament fury every week for a solid two months with qualifying and preliminary races, available in both singles and team games, with a new one starting up just as soon as the last one was done.
There were never any shortage of players willing to sign up and compete: people of every age came, including his friends. Hiccup was only sorry he couldn't be one of them.
Besides becoming the new chief and being the best, most experienced dragon rider on the island, it was unanimously agreed that the supersonic speed the Night Fury was known to possess gave Hiccup and Toothless an unfair advantage. Other dragons, despite their training and their diets of chicken, which was discovered to help a dragon's speed due to the supplements it carried, could never keep up, especially when Toothless was eating just as much chicken as them. It wasn't as though Hiccup really minded all that much: he was never really a big fan of competition, anyway.
However, to satisfy Toothless' need for flight and to give them a chance to participate, Hiccup came up with the idea to perform exhibition flights before each official game. They would always give quite the show, somehow managing to always do better than the last, and sometimes even bringing other dragons into the act.
Of course, keeping in mind some of the more brave and competitive Vikings, Hiccup and Toothless were still open to challenge to a one-on-one dragon race at any time. They managed to get plenty of challengers once this was established, and naturally they had yet to lose a single match.
But there was still much more to do, at least as far as Hiccup was concerned. Every invention, every addition and improvement was his idea, and really played a massive factor into Hairke's decision to make him chief. After all, with all these upgrades, his job as chief had never been easier, every problem being solved for him; it only proved how fit, how destined to lead Hiccup truly was.
Toothless landed at the square to a bunch of hearty cheers for the new chief-to-be; Hiccup tucked his helmet under his arm and, after getting past the throngs of congratulatory words and barks from the dragons, headed through the rows of houses with Toothless by his side. Trained dragons roamed freely, sitting on their perches on the rooftops and some of the smaller dragons were playfully chasing after some of the younger children.
Terrible Terrors were flying everywhere: another brilliant idea of Hiccup's was to employ the Terrors as a sort of carrier service for mail. A message would be attached to their leg and after being provided a smell sample, would fly off to the intended person; a small fish per Terror was a small fee to pay for this. The delivery service helped immensely while construction of the new additions was still going on, and even now when it was still going with repairs and such.
Passing through the streets, he got a lot of 'Hi Hiccup's and shy waves from the younger women; once he turned to look at them, they shied away giggling, their faces blood-red. Girls all over the island had been falling for and obsessing over his roguish good looks, even if that manner of thinking wasn't very Viking-like. Hiccup couldn't even count the number of marriage proposals he had received before deciding to tie the knot with the chief's daughter. He would always have his eyes set on that one woman, so he just politely waved back. The girls just giggled more and some even fell to their knees at how he had noticed them.
Turning one more curve he came to a new house with a personal stable right next to it, where standing on the porch, waiting for him with a small five, almost six, year-old standing next to her was the beautiful woman in question.
Alta and Alvis.
Alta had grown into quite the young woman, her long black hair even longer and her breasts larger; she wore a long overcoat made from wolf skin wrapped around and secured by a leather belt around her waist like a corset. She stood just a few inches shorter than Hiccup thanks to his growth spurt finally kicking in. Alvis on the other hand was like a miniature Hiccup, sporting the same freckled face, the same styled green tunic and long brown pants and leather boots he did when he was fifteen.
The only differences were the short sleeves on his tunic and his hair being more of a normal shade of brown, but those green eyes of his, so happy and full of life, were a near perfect reflection of his father's. Alta wrapped her arms around Hiccup's neck and kissed him like she usually did every day, while Alvis quietly gripped his fathers' leg, almost knocking Hiccup over. As he was greeted by his son and wife, Hiccup felt like the luckiest man alive.
"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite hero. I'm surprised to see you hanging around the house these days." Alta said playfully.
"Not my fault there aren't enough hours to go around. At least I got to squeeze some time in." Hiccup's schedule these days was packed, between flights with Toothless, training to keep his fighting skills sharp, getting chiefing lessons from Hairke, working in the forge making saddles, and overseeing new projects for the village, it was a wonder he didn't keel over.
"Daddy, daddy!" Alvis hopped on his leg, the little bundle of energy he was.
Hiccup looked down with a smile as wide as a river and picked his little son up by his sides, holding him in the air. "Hey, how's my favorite boy?"
"Great, daddy!" He giggled. "I've been playing with Bois and Torch all day!" At that point, a large dragon similar to a Monstrous Nightmare with a silver head and curved horns and red-orange wings. This was a new breed of dragon known as a Typhoomerang for the way it could create a cyclone of fire and return to its original point. Hiccup had found Torch when he was a baby not long after he returned from his journey and had took it home to live with him, much to Toothless's chagrin.
The two dragons had formed a bitter rivalry with each other for Hiccup's affections, one that did not improve with time. Still, Hiccup had always chosen Toothless as his main riding dragon, and the two could at least respect each other based on how much they cared about him. Most found it impressive that Hiccup had more than one dragon, especially two rare breeds like them. Torch laid his head down along with Bois who had followed the Typhoomerang out and both started nuzzling the little boy, giving him little licks.
"Well, glad to see you two have been making my boy's day." Hiccup said to the two dragons, and Torch began to nuzzle him, keeping an eye open slightly to gauge Toothless's reaction. The Night Fury snarling in jealousy was a welcome sight to him.
"All right, boys, enough of that." Alta split the dragons apart. "It's time for dinner."
Hiccup put down Alvis, who walked through the door of the house with Toothless right behind. Torch and Bois, since they were too big to get through the door, went around and stuck their heads through the windows around the hall. Hiccup watch all the members of his family go in before turning back around to see Alta, grabbing her waist and kissing her on the lips.
"We've got one heck of a family, don't we?" Hiccup said before placing a hand on Alta's belly. "And it's soon to be one greater."
"I'm looking forward to that." Alta said, giving him another peck on the cheek.
Hiccup smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leading her in. Alta was touched by how her husband was doting on her all the time now since she was expected to deliver any day now. As they went in to enjoy a nice, quiet evening at home, Hiccup couldn't help but feel proud of himself at the feeling of it all.
'What could be better than this?,' he thought.
I'd like to give out props for the inspiration for this chapter first and foremost. A shout-out to "Prodigal Son" and "The Viking Samurai" for their takes on Hiccup's otherworldly adventures.
I noticed that some were asking if Hiccup could travel like he originally intended to, and I honestly had plans for that all along. I always thought of Hiccup going out to explore the world, learn new things and become this sort of experienced, wise, capable leader-type. For the places Hiccup went to in this chapter, I mostly thought of countries that had strong ties to dragons. Places like China, Japan, and Medieval England – England's dragons, I thought of Fire Emblem.
You'll notice by now Draak's undergone a lot of changes. I figured Hiccup was behind a great deal of the changes that happened to Berk by the time of the second movie (which I already bought, great film, by the way). But now, all those changes go to Draak.
Anyway, as always, review, favorite, follow!