Green-eyed shadow
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the plot.
KEY
'Thoughts/memories'
Emphasis/yelling
*Symbiote speaking*
*Symbiote think-speaking*
(A/N: Some of the events in the movie will differ slightly since Hiccup isn't attending dragon training and because of his other, also a bit of extra to fill in the gaps between events.)
Review responses
NightHowler0: Thank you. Well, Hiccup only has a few days experience controlling his new found power.
Anonymous Noob the 2nd: Still planning on it.
Back to the action!
Chapter 4: New opportunities
Nar POV
Early morning
Knock-knock, Hiccup tossed and turned, trying to ignore the noise. "Oi, 'iccup!", the teen groaned and sat up, "Ya' awake yet, lad?!".
'Oh gods, why is Gobber waking me so early?', Hiccup pulled off his blanket and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. He walked over to his mirrored dresser, wearing only his boxer-like underwear.
He looked over his body, his former scrawny arms and legs now packed with lean strong muscle, *Like what you see?*.
Hiccup examined arm as he spun and flexed, "Is this what you did?".
*Not entirely, your muscle was always there, it just needed to be refined. You built it while working in that forge place, all you needed was better nutrition. From what I can understand from your genetic material is that you were birthed far earlier than you were expected. I just used our excess collected biomass to rectify your impeded development*, His other explained.
"Thanks… I guess", white slime seeped out his skin and reformed as his normal attire, covering the scar marks on his arms and legs.
*Do you want to talk about those scars?*, the symbiote asked.
'Do I need to, you already know', Hiccup stepped out his room and descended the stairs.
*I understand*, the teen opened the door and sees Gobber waiting outside.
"Morning Gobber", Hiccup said with a smile.
"Mornin' 'iccup, yew best 'ead over ta' get breakfast at tha' great hall befo' meetin' me at tha' arena", with that, Gobber hobble off.
Hiccup shrugged and closed the door behind him, "We gotta pick something up before we chow down", he jogged toward the forge.
A few minutes later, elsewhere in the village
Hiccup patted where his journal was, safely back under his vest. As he walked through berk, many of the villagers gave him a wide berth. News of his return and strange way of speaking made them uneasy, not to mention the rumor of sending someone twice his size through a solid wood wall. He heard a familiar voice call out, "Thanks mom, I'll see you later".
Hiccup hid back behind the corner when he remembered Astrid's voice, *What's happening, your pulse has quickened*.
He peeks around the edge, seeing Brenna Hofferson waving to her daughter, "Astrid honey, don't you want another piece of toast?!".
The blonde aspiring shieldmaiden spun around, "I want to get some exercise in before dragon training!".
Hiccup watched his crush jog into the forest, the axe he made strapped to her slender back. *Whose Astrid, why are y-*, the symbiote groans in pleasure, *Oooh, sweet, delicious nectar*. His other realizes at who he was staring, *Hmm, strong and healthy, not a bad female*.
"Wha-what are you implying?!", Hiccup quickly accused.
*You're obviously attracted to that girl*, he spoke in a teasing tone, *I like her, especially if she easily makes you generate tasty nectar*.
"Humph, whatever, let's get something to eat before helping Gobber", Hiccup growled.
Great hall
Hiccup pushed open one of the hall's towering heavy doors with ease, many present spun and watched him enter. Within moments of closing the door behind him, the loud conversations quieted down to a murmurs. He picked up several hushed talks from the tables, "Ya' think 'he did it?".
"I heard he told Stoick he didn't want to join the rest of the teens in dragon training", came from another table. "Is he mad?", Hiccup glance at them, "Quiet, I think he heard us".
He turned away with a low huff, then approached the serving table. It was Mulch and Bucket's turn, the two smiled when they see him but frown after they noticed what was left. "Sorry Hiccup, this is all that's left", much of the leftover food was unappealing, either overcooked or bits that people spooned around. He hears snickering behind him and looks back, Snotlout and the twins were sneering. They ate from their plates, stacked with more food than they could finish.
Hiccup looked at the leftovers, more burnt than overcooked, *Do not even think about eating that scorched slop*.
'Bud, I need to eat something', he argued mentally.
*Fine, let's see… ah, over there to your right!*, he looks over and spots the discarded fish, tossed into a barrel after their meat was cut away.
'Uh, Bud?', Hiccup raised an eyebrow.
*Do you trust me?*, he gave a subtle nod, *Good*.
Hiccup cleared his throat, "Hey Mulch, how fresh are those?", he pointed to the barrel.
"Um, these Salmon and Icelandic cod were brought in just this morning", the smaller man scratched his helmet with his hook, "Why?".
"We'll have those", his declaration shocked the friendly fishermen. The entire hall stopped dead; several utensils clattered after falling from still hands.
"Hiccup… I know we clean those fish, but are you sure you…?", Mulch was genuinely concerned about the teen's unusual request.
"Yes, we would like as much as you can fit on our plate", Hiccup said with a smile. Mulch and Bucket slowly placed the filleted fish skeletons, trying to give him every opportunity to change his mind. After having his plate stack high, he thanked them and walked over to his table by the darken corner.
"Ya' think the lad's gone mad?", Hoark muttered before a smirk appears, "Five coppers he gags on the first bite?".
"I'll take that bet", agreed Shamus, both see him sit and pick up a fish. Chomp, Hiccup easily severs the head from the rest of the fleshy skeleton, "Ha, pay up!". Hoark grumbles, "Wanna go double or nothin' on whether or not he eats half his plate before barfin'?". He thinks for a moment before shaking his hand, while the teens sat shock at what they just witness.
Meanwhile, Hiccup was wondering why the hard skull was easy to chew or why wasn't gagging. *These fish heads seem to have an abundance of healthy nutrients, some of which aids in nectar production*. He swallows the mouthful, *Your body can use the nutrients; I'll just block the taste for you*.
'Thanks', Hiccup finishes more than half his plate, then hears groaning from a different table. He looks over and sees Hoark and Shamus discussing something before shaking hands. He shrugs and sucks bits of bone from his teeth, he freezes when he feels something off. Hiccup reaches into his belt and pulls his knife, using the polished blade as a mirror. His eyes bug out when he sees that both his upper and lower incisors along with his canines were sharpen to a tapered point. He scowls, 'Uh, Bud?'.
*He-he, I might've made a couple more changes when I fixed your body*, the symbiote paused, *You're mad… aren't you?*.
'Not mad just… surprised', Hiccup sets down his knife, 'Just give me a notice before you start renovating, okay?' .
*Fine, I'll just change them back*, his other sighed.
'Now hold on there, Bud. Let's not be too hasty', He cleared his throat, 'Remember what you said when we found our way out of that chasm?'.
*I remember, I said: 'Together we would be an apex predator… the top of the food chain'*, he replied proudly.
'Exactly, and besides-', Hiccup smiled deviously and sees his ferocious appearance, 'This could come in handy'. He stows away his knife and finishes his plate, then walks over to drop it off with Mulch and Bucket.
Hiccup sees Hoark storming out as Shamus approaches him, "Thanks for your help, Lad". The man smiles and pats his pocket, the jingling of coins sounds out.
The teen stood confused as he never knew Shamus to be so friendly to him before, "What was that about?".
*Eh, who knows*, his other shared his confusion, *C'mon, we best meet with that Gobber fellow*
Later, Dragon arena
Gobber throws up the gate, "Welcome ta' dragon trainin'!", then hobbles in.
Astrid marches in after him, leading the rest of the teens inside, "No turning back". Snotlout was behind her to her left, shaking loose his shoulders while holding his mace. Behind him, Ruffnut and Tuffnut gaze around the arena, casually holding their twin headed spears. Fishlegs took up the rear, holding his stone-headed maul and giddy with anticipation.
Hiccup was leaning by the doors to the dragon enclosures, eyeing his gobsmacked peers, *How interesting, your female in the center, surrounded by the other four. I take it she must be a Leader?*.
'First off, she's not mine', Hiccup silently huffed, 'Second, kinda… her family ranks higher than most due to them being natural born warriors'.
"I hope I get some serious burns", Tuffnut pumped his fist.
"I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back", his sister chimes in while rolling her shoulder.
"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it", Astrid agreed nonchalantly.
*Fun? Your friends need some serious psychological help*, the symbiote cringed.
'Yeah, they're not my friends…', Hiccup shared his opinion, 'But I couldn't agree more'. Gobber looks pass the teens and sees Hiccup, "Everything's set up already!", shouted back.
"Aww great, who let him in?", groaned Tuffnut.
Hiccup rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Let's get started!", Gobber rounds up the teens. "Tha' recruit who does best will win tha' 'onor 'o killin' 'is first dragon in front 'o tha' village", the blacksmith/teacher motioned around the arena, trying to paint a picture for them.
"Hiccup's not in… good", sneered Snotlout.
"I'm glad I'm in the class with the cool vikings", Tuffnut joined in.
Gobber made them form up in a line, "Behind these doors are just a few of tha' many species yew will learn ta' fight". He marched in front of the pentagon shaped door while holding his hook behind his back, "Tha' deadly nadder".
"Speed eight, armor sixteen", Fishlegs called out statistics.
"Tha' hideous zippleback", Gobber passed a set of double doors.
"Plus eleven stealth times two", the large teen squeezed his maul tighter.
"Tha' monstrous nightmare", the teacher passes a reinforced heavy door.
"Firepower fifteen", he continued stating stats.
"Tha' terrible terror", the next door was no bigger than a doggy door.
"Attack eight, venom twelve!", Fishlegs spouted out excitedly.
"Can yew stop tha'?!", yelled an irritated Gobber, "an' thee gronckle",
"Jaw strength eight", he whispers to Tuffnut, who ignored him.
Gobber turned to Hiccup and raised his hook, Snotlout's face fell, "Whoa-whoa-whoa, wait!". He became frantic, "Aren't you gonna teach us first?!".
Hiccup chuckled, 'Gobber believes in learning on the job'.
*You're not serious?*, his other had a realization, *You are… I'm glad we're not attending*.
"I believe in learnin' on tha' job", he brought down his hook, signaling Hiccup. He pulled down the heavy lever with ease using one arm. The bar was lifted, and the enraged bulbous dragon charged out of their cage moments later. "Today is about survival", the gronckle hovered above the scattering teens. "If yew get blasted-", It crashed into the wall next to the gate, "Yur' dead". The dragon spots a pile of rocks and scoops them up in their mouth, "Quick, wha's tha' first thing yur' gunna need?".
*A doctor?*, quipped the symbiote, making Hiccup giggle.
"Plus five speed?!", offered Fishlegs.
*How? I don't understand the big one's logic*, Hiccup agreed with him.
"A shield!", corrected Astrid.
*Oooh, smart one that female is*, he agreed with him again.
"Shields, go!", commanded Gobber. One by one, the teens ran and picked up several wooden shields Hiccup place around the arena earlier, "Yur' most important piece 'o equipment is yur' shield". "If yew 'ave ta' make a choice between a sword or a shield, take tha' shield!", he watches his students either panic or listen.
Both twins grabbed the shield with a flaming skull painted on it, "Get your hands off my shield!", Tuffnut tried to tug it away from his sister.
"There are like a million shields!", Ruffnut countered. In the distance behind them, Fishlegs ran with his arms flailing while being chased by the gronckle.
"Take that one, it has a flower on it", his sister pulled it from his grasp, "Girls like flowers".
Ruffnut bashed her shield over his head, "Oops, now this one has blood on it", she spat while offering it back.
The gronckle spots the two tugging at the shield between them and fires on it, shattering it, "Tuffnut, Ruffnut, yur' out".
Both twins wobbled up, "Whaaat?", the two groaned in unison.
"Those shields are good for anotha' thing", the gronckle banks hard and circled the remaining teens, "Noise, make lots o' it an' throw off a dragons aim!". Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs stood together and beat their weapons on the center metal cap of their shields.
*Grrr, that's getting on my nerves!*, growled the symbiote, who was resistant against loud sound, but it still irritated him.
'I know', Hiccup ground his teeth at the annoying reverberations. The gronckle was shaking their head, sharing his discomfort at their clanking.
"All dragons 'ave a limited number 'o shots", the teens circled the pained dragon while bashing their shields, "How many does a gronckle have?".
"Five?", guessed Snotlout, stopping his mace beating.
"No, six", corrected Fishlegs, also ceasing his noise making.
The gronckle recovered, "Correct, six, tha's more than one fur' each 'o ya'!", it locked onto Fishlegs and shot his shield off. "Fishlegs out", the teen flailed his arms and ran away screaming, Hiccup rolled his eyes and walks to the nadder's door.
The gronckle hovered in place above and scanned its surrounding for more targets, "So anyway, I moved into my parent's basement", it spots Snotlout and Astrid by his loud voice. "You should come by sometime to work out", Astrid rolls away as the dragon closes in, "You look like you work out".
The fireball explodes into his shield, sending him flying, "Snotlout, yur' done!". The gronckle flies after Astrid, firing its second to last shot. She holds up her shield and makes it glance off, sending it crashing above Hiccup.
He ducks away from the explosion, *I'm upset now* , the symbiote grumbles. The dragon followed its shot and spots Hiccup dusting bits of rock off his vest. It flies at the unafraid teen, who senses it closing in at snaps his head at it. Hiccup's eyes become completely blacked out, *Back off you ugly, overgrown newt!*, he snarled to show off his sharpen teeth. The dragon feels an overwhelming killing intent spew out from Hiccup. His aura reminded it of a hidden terror only the dragons knew of, which made the gronckle whimper and fly back inside its enclosure.
Hiccup's eyes reverted to his regular forest green, "Hey Gobber, is the lesson over yet?".
Gobber stood shocked why the gronckle had reacted to Hiccup like that, since everyone was too far away to notice anything strange, "Ya'… l-lessons ova', class dismissed".
Hiccup closed the gronckles door, much to the whining dragon's relief, "Okay, our work for the next couple of days is done, so we'll be busy elsewhere". Gobber and the teens watched him saunter over to the gate, then let himself out.
Two hours later, Berk forest
*One more time!*, Hiccup picked himself up from the ground, dusting dirt from his tunic and vest.
"We don't know how many more bruises we can take", he was scuffed and scratched.
White goo oozed out from his injuries and repaired the damage before seeping back in, *I'll handle recovery, you concentrate on control*.
"Fine", he closed his eyes and took a breath. His tunic sleeves below his elbow returned to ooze form, enveloping his forearm and hands. The wriggling mass reformed into bigger shiny white copies of his own, their blackened fingers ending in large, hooked claws. Hiccup flexed his clawed hands, "Let's try again". He sprinted towards a fir, vaulting off a boulder and flying to the tree. His boots and pant legs metamorphosed into gleaming limbs like his arms, his feet having curved claws of their own.
His hands and feet hooked into the hard wood, their claws digging in to keep him from slipping, *Good, let's try getting farther this time?*. Hiccup climbed up, then propelled himself with his legs. He bound from tree to tree, tearing claw marks into their trunks as the teen kicked off to the next one.
Jump after jump, Hiccup maneuvered his way through the forest. He landed on a branch, a little out of breath as he perched, "How are we doing?".
*Pretty good, we haven't crashed yet*, he rolled his eyes at his other's jest, *Now let's go for distance!*. Hiccup resumed bounding, trying to reach trees farther apart than his earlier run. He kicked off his last perch and soared to his target, realizing too late that he wasn't going to reach it, *Hiccup!*.
He reached back and whipped his arm out, reforming it into a tentacle. It stretched out and caught a high branch, wrapping itself around it before Hiccup reeled himself up, "Whoo, that was a close one!".
He landed wobbly on the branch below, *Alright, I had to admit, I was sure we were going to end up face first onto the dirt again*. Hiccup looked at his arm and reformed it back into his large, clawed hand, *I think that's enough control training for the day, let's take a break before moving onto strength training*. He sat down and gaze out of the tree line to a peaceful clearing in front of him. His stomach rumbles, the teen scans his surroundings and spots a herd of deer exiting the forest on the other side, *You're thinking what I'm thinking?*.
"We might be", Hiccup said with a fanged smile.
*Lunch*, he crouched and leapt off his perch.
Later, Astrid's training grounds, village outskirts
Astrid POV
"Hyagh!", I threw my axe with all my strength, then watch it glance off the tree I used as a target. All around me were trees marked by my training, many were perfect hits from before. "Ugh, why can't I hit it?!", my mind wanders back to dragon training, how did Hiccup… Hiccup… scare a dragon with just a glare? I trudge over to my axe and carried it back to my spot.
Maybe it's a Haddock thing? I've seen the chief do it once or twice when I was very young, looking out my room's window during a few dragon raids. He'd stare right at a dragon that got close and poof, it flew off scared. I shook my head free of thoughts, "Ok… one more time", then threw my axe as hard as I could.
It sailed at my target; I was sure it would hit this time. Thu-ping, my axe hit handle first and bounced back, chopping the air as it barreled towards my head. I duck and roll away, dodging the wild axe. "Grrr", I snatched it up and threw it blindly, "You stupid axe!". Some snapping came from the bushes, a figure walked out where my axe was heading, "Look out!".
A few moments earlier
Nar POV
"We don't think we'll ever get use to eating like that, bud", Hiccup was picking bits of meat from his teeth with his tongue. He stopped walking when he heard a faint thunking sound, then shrugged and resumed heading back to the village.
*Hey, protein is protein, we just skipped pass burning it*, the symbiote countered, *Besides, I'll make sure you don't get sick from it*. His other also heard the sounds, *What is that?*.
'I don't know, let's check it out?', Hiccup turned towards in the direction where the sounds were the sounds were stronger. The thunking grew louder along with murmurings that sounded familiar.
He moved into the bushes and heard a growl before, "You stupid axe!". Hiccup stepped out just before the familiar voice screamed, "Look out!".
*Heads up!*, his hand shot out and caught the grip of a flying object.
Astrid ran over, "Oh gods, are you-?", she spots Hiccup. His hand had caught her axe mid-flight, its blade edge just centimeters from his nose. The sight of the supposed clumsy village nuisance perfectly catching a thrown axe makes her eyes shoot wide open.
Hiccup recognizes the weapon, 'This is… Astrid's axe', he looks pass it and sees his crush. "Oh, hello", he holds out the weapon for her to grab, "Here, this must be yours".
She snatches it back, "Th-thanks", then brushes her bangs aside.
"We'll let you get back to whatever you were doing", Hiccup smiles and begins to walk away. He stops at the edge of the small clearing and turns around, "Word of advice, try holding back, sometimes it's better to use controlled power rather than brute strength".
Astrid huffed, "Yeah, how would you know?".
He shrugged, "When you read as many books as we do, you pick up a thing or two". He turns back but looks over his shoulder, "If you want more advice, you know where to find us".
Astrid waited a minute after Hiccup left, "What does he know about training like a proper viking?". She resumed throwing her axe with all her might, only for it to hit off-center or glance off repeatably. 'Ugh, again?!', Astrid scooped it up and stomped back to her spot. 'Why don't you try holding back?', she mockingly thought at Hiccup's advice.
With her arm reeled back, Astrid was about to throw it hard before she stopped, 'Maybe I'll try holding back… just to prove how wrong he is!'. She wound back but threw her axe with some force, thack, it hit straight and deep. Astrid walked to her target to get it back, only to be surprise by how difficult it was to free. With a grunt, Astrid managed to pull her axe out, "Huh, maybe he knows more than how to hammer metal or wreck the village". The aspiring shieldmaiden walked back to the village, promising herself that she won't admit Hiccup was right.
Berk village outskirts
*That was nice, giving advice to the hot-tempered female on how to better kill with her weapon*, Hiccup could see the outermost huts through the trees.
He shrugged, "As long as Astrid uses it to hurt Snotlout, we're happy". Hiccup neared the edge of the village when he hears a commotion to his right, it sounded like arguing coming from a little ways away. He reforms his clawed hands and scales a fir tree, then makes his way towards it using the trees.
"Son, please reconsider", Hiccup peers through the leaves, seeing Iric and Fishlegs bickering between themselves behind their house.
"Dad, I don't have time for this", the heavyset boy stepped back, "Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff are waiting for me!".
"Fishlegs, when are you gonna get serious about your future?", Iric pleaded with him, "I want you to learn our trade".
"Dad, you know I don't want to be a carpenter", Fishlegs groaned, "I want to be cool, why do you think I asked you to get me into dragon training?".
"There are so many dragon killers already, the tribe needs someone who can help fix the village after the raids", the father wanted his son to see reason.
"I don't want to kill them… I want to study them, I want… I want to be a dragon scholar like Bork the Bold", Iric's face fell, "The more we know about our enemy, the better we can fight!".
"Son, please".
"Dad, I want to be someone people admire… that person isn't a carpenter", Fishlegs declaration hit his father hard, "I'm sorry, but it's not what I want to do". The teen turned away from Iric, jogging off towards the awaiting trio.
"Oh Odin, why do you let these blasted dragons exist?", Iric sighed in defeat.
Hiccup watches the man sulk, *Are all offspring so callous to their birthers?*.
'Not intentionally, most of my peers want acknowledgment from the tribe', he reformed his arm into a writhing tentacle, 'The quickest and most accepted method is your dragon kill count'.
Hiccup wrapped his limb around the branch he was perched on, *That's… a bit savage, is it not?*.
'Honor and glory, that's what's most important in our culture', he hopped off and rappel down the tall fir tree. 'I find it pointless; it doesn't keep a roof overhead nor bring in food… unless we start eating dragon meat', the pair silently descend into the bushes.
*Hmm, we should try it sometime*, Hiccup landed then retracted the white ooze, forming it back into his sleeve. *Who knows, could be tasty*, he creeped out the shrubbery towards Iric.
"Ahem, Mr. Ingerman?", his unexpected voice made the man jump.
"Oh, sweet Freya!", Iric spun around and sees Hiccup stand behind him, "Hiccup?". "Oh lad, you startled me…" he held his chest before his eyes widen, "H-how long were you there?".
Hiccup decide to feint ignorance of the two Ingerman's argument, to save the father's pride, "Just a couple moments ago, we saw Fishlegs leave with the others… why?".
'We?', Iric furrowed his brow but remembered what Gobber had told him, "No matter, so what can I do for you?".
"We wanted to ask you how difficult it would be to build a small hut in a tree?", Hiccup's genuine question flabbergasted the craftsman.
"Y-you're serious?", the teen's expression held nothing but sincerity, "You want to build a hut… in a tree… a treehut?".
"Yes, we like enjoying our solitude in the forest from time to time, away from the noisy village", Hiccup gave him a small smile, "So we wanted to have a place to relax or hide if we're caught out there in bad weather".
Iric understood his reasoning, "Oh, I see". He walked to his log spitting stump and sat, "Well, your gonna need nails to put it together. Since you work with Gobber, you can make those no problem". The man strokes his short beard, "The problem is gettin' the right timbers to build it and since you want it to endure the elements, not any old wood will do". He walks inside his shop beside his house and emerges with a-meter-long plank, "This kind should work for buildin' a hut".
He hands it over to Hiccup, "So this is the kind of wood we need?".
"Yes, it's treated with linseed oil, so it might be a bit expensive", he takes it from him, "This piece itself runs about five silver".
"That much?!", Hiccup gasped, "That's as much as Gobber gives us for a week's worth of labor!".
"Aye, I can't go much lower than that since I have to spend most of my time patchin' up the village huts", Iric sat back down and set it down next to him. "Sorry Hiccup, I just have too much work and too little time to make extra lumber", the teen's shoulders slumped. "I have to handle the workload myself since…", Iric trailed off after recalling his problem.
*What if you help him?*, his other spoke up, *This one says he doesn't have time since he lacks manpower* .
'Eh, it's worth a shot', Hiccup composed himself, "What if we help you with your work, will you have time to make extra?".
Iric looked over to him, "I could but carpentry is very different then workin' in the forge and besides, don't you have work waitin' from Gobber?".
"Nope, we finished our assigned work for the next few days", Hiccup said proudly.
"Oh, well workin' with wood is very different poundin' metal into shape", Iric was doubtful, "It's a rather toilsome undertakin', so it may get in the way of workin' with Gobber".
"It's alright, we found a way to uh… increase… our productivity", he smirked, "As long as we get our work done, Gobber doesn't care what we do in our free time".
"I'll have to teach you the basics if you're really wantin' to help", Iric rose from his stump.
"We're eager to learn new skills", Hiccup placed his hands on his hips.
"I can't pay you much for labor", the Ingerman warned.
"We'll work for supplies to use in our project", the teen countered.
"You're really serious about this, Hiccup?", Iric stood before him.
"Yeah, we are and besides, we're helping the village by helping you", he smiled, "Win-win".
"Well, can't argue with that", Iric chuckled and held out his hand, "When can you start?".
"Right away", Hiccup shook his hand.
(A/N: Yep, Hiccup's gonna work multiple 'apprentices' to build his forest retreat/treehouse/home-away-from-home.)