First chapter of the next Arc
Link to first Arc - s/10464963/1/The-Curse-of-the-Gods
"It's been a few months since Dagur was killed. That gory and gruesome image burns whenever I think of it. It's times like these when I wish I wasn't able to remember so much detail. Am I bad person for feeling relieved when he died? I ask myself that just about everyday. I don't think I'll ever find an answer to that. One more bad memory to add to my collection. Oh, I celebrated my birthday a few days ago. Seventeen now. Time really does fly though...considering I was fifteen when I first met Toothless, I turned sixteen not too long before I turned into...well, a dragon. Its almost been a year since I changed, in another week, give or take a day. Speaking of being a dragon, I'm having so much trouble writing this. Claws are such a pain to use, but we're getting better. Toothless is trying his hardest too, though he is taking longer than I am since he's never had any past experience to go on with this type of stuff. The island's getting warm again...well, as warm as it gets, but I don't really have much of a problem with the cold anymore. Strange, right? Guess dragons can keep themselves pretty warm. Toothless and I have been going strong as mates, no major fights yet, just little stuff that we usual end up laughing about a few minutes later. I really wish you were here to see it, our wedding. I really wish you where here to see a lot of things. I really wish I didn't know you would never be able to read this. I really don't know why I gave writing in this thing a shot. When Tooth and I got married, and I realized that you weren't there. When I looked around me and saw every with their mom and dad like a big family...I just finally...snapped. Something inside just hurts. It hurts knowing I can never appreciate something I never got to have."
Hiccup put down his pencil, deciding it would be best to stop writing. The dragon slowly closed the book, having written it in plenty for the day, though, he only wrote in it once or twice a week. He thought it would be interesting to have a journal and keep track of where he's been. Hiccup realized after the second time he wrote in it, that it wasn't a book full of life, it was one full of wishes, and rants, and lots of venting. He honestly felt kind of ashamed, feeling that he wasn't dealing with his problems, just writing them in a book and storing them away. The pain would disappear momentarily, but he knew that it would return after a while.
A sudden slam made Hiccup jump out of his skin. Looking towards the window, he saw the small wooden door slightly ajar again, being pushed and closed every few seconds from the passing wind. The dragon took a deep breath and shook his head. Taking the journal, he placed it on the shelf next to his inventions journal, which he started tinkering in again, and his copy of the Book of Dragons, routinely making edits to it. Hiccup's gaze lingered on those books, remembering how life was before. As hard a Hiccup tried for his old life, the harder it seem to become to obtain it. The dragon looked down at his claws, a longing he hadn't felt for some time returned for a brief moment, quickly replaced with anger.
"Don't think like that," Hiccup whispered to himself, "Besides, 'I don't know' isn't an answer anymore. You've already made a choice." The dragon ran his paws over his head and walked towards the door, purging his mind of those annoying thoughts of his. With a few steps and many loud creaks, he made his way down the stairs and into the living area. The fire pit was dead, lacking any wood to begin with, the kitchen was clean as could be, and the house lacked a certain vibrance that was usually present.
"Stay here he says," Hiccup said boredly, "It'll be boring he says, you'll get bored like you always do on patrols he says," The dragon made hand gestures, mimicking Toothless' voice and behavior as best he could while walking towards the door. Rolling his eyes, more so at himself than at Toothless, he picked up his bag and slung it around his arms. Next to his bag was the makeshift bulletin board the two had made and attached to it was a list of groceries and other things the two might throughout the week. Pulling it from its place, Hiccup read over it quickly and stuck it in his bag.
Stepping outside the door, a sudden gust of wind blew past him bringing with it the sounds of the village. Closing the door behind him, Hiccup walked into the market. It was always convenient that the two lived right next to the market, though it did sometimes get noisy, and sometimes, they were the ones who might be a bit too noisy. That certainly made going outside for the next few days a bit awkward.
Stopping and checking his list again, Hiccup quietly strolled through the stalls, picking up everything the two might need. He passed by Snotlout's usual stall, not seeing him there. It took a few moments for Hiccup to remember he wasn't running it anymore. It had nearly been a year, but everyone had changed, grown up, moved on in their own way. They all talked and hung out as they used too, but the atmosphere changed, changed in a good way. They were closer. Not just the humans, but the dragons as well inside the group. They were all like a family, a weird, makeshift one, but a family no less. Before he realized it, Hiccup was back at home, setting his groceries down in the kitchen.
"Don't get all nostalgic on me Hiccup," the dragon said to himself jokingly, though, he knew that lately, it was all he found himself doing.
"You're supposed to be making new memories not mulling over old ones," Hiccup said, "What's wrong with how things are now? Is it because things have changed? Well tough, life changes, get used to it. You've done it plenty of times before. Oh wait, you're scared because you know you're growing up..." The dragon trailed off, feeling as if his voice wasn't his own for a second there. A voice that was telling him the truth.
"So thats it...huh?" Hiccup whispered to himself softly. Feeling that urge once again, Hiccup walked to his room, wanting to write in his journal again. To him, it was like writing facts into the book, his deepest, sometimes darkest thoughts. Pushing open the door, his grip faded away from the door only to have it get pushed back into his arm. Rubbing his shoulder out of habit, not out of pain, he saw the window was pushed open again. Walking over to the window, his paws met with either side of the windows small doors when a curious sight met his eyes. A ship was docking, a ship he'd never seen before. The design didn't resemble any viking ship Hiccup had ever seen before. Hiccup's curiosity had peaked and he had to know where this ship came from. Flexing his tail, prosthetic, and his wings, the dragon lept from the window and flew down towards the docks. Getting closer, he saw his dad standing near where the ship would soon be docking.
With a soft thump, Hiccup touched the ground gracefully. Stoick looked over and smiled at his son, walking towards him short ways. Meeting him halfway, Hiccup gestured towards he boat questioningly.
"I've never seen that ship before," Hiccup said curiously, "An old friend of yours?" Stoick glanced back at the ship, seeing that it had docked. The chief shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"No," he said truthfully, "All I can tell is that the design comes from an asian country." Hiccup raised a brow and tilted his head in confusion.
"Are you sure it's from Asia?" Hiccup asked, "Why would they come so far away from their home?" Stoick shook his head, glancing back at the boat, seeing a man getting off the ship with the assistance of some vikings.
"Stay here," Stoick said, "Don't draw attention to yourself." The chief walked off towards the newcomer. Hiccup stared at his father with a bit of surprise.
"You do realize I'm talking dragon right?" Hiccup whispered to himself, staying where his father had left him obediently.
Stoick walked confidently towards the docked vessel, watching as his vikings tried their best to talk with the newcomer. Seeing their chief walking towards them, the younger vikings left the negotiating to their superior and went off to tend to other duties. Stoick and the newcomer stood face to face, well, more like face to chest. The newcomer was short, and scrawny, definitely showing some age and was of asian decent. He had short, black hair and soft features that magnified his sharp eyes. For a few moments, the two stood in uncomfortable silence, neither quite sure what should be said.
"May I help you?" Stoick said, trying his hardest not to come off as rude. The man flinched a little hearing Stoick, as if he hadn't heard a strong voice in ages. This newcomer was different in the way he carried himself.
"I...believe so," the newcomer said softly. Stoick almost recoiled in surprise hearing such flawless Norse being spoken to him. The man glanced around, making eye contact with Hiccup before quickly turning his gaze back to Stoick.
"Is this the island called Berk?" the newcomer asked with more intensity. Stoick glanced over at Hiccup, being met with a curious gaze before turning back to the man.
"Yes," Stoick said cautiously, "What business do you have here?" The newcomer turned back and yelled something to his ship. Stoick reached down for his sword quickly, not quite sure what to expect. Within a few moments, a young boy made his way down onto the dock. Stoick slowly removed his hand from his sword and watched as the boy came closer. He couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen years old. He was scrawny, like the man, but he had more of an edge to him, the type of edge survivors have. The boy stood there, eyes fixated on the ground in front of him.
"We came to seek refuge," the newcomer said, "My name is Ken, and this is my son Tatsuo. We've come a long way seeking refuge among your vikings." Stoick looked at Ken with confusion, wondering why they chose Berk of all places.
"All of the places, why Berk?" Stoick asked. Ken looked over towards Hiccup and backed towards Stoick.
"We heard rumours you made peace with dragons," Ken said softly. Stoick looked over towards Hiccup, who was now scraping his claws along the boards in agitation. After a few moments, Stoick slowly drew his hand up and motioned Hiccup closer. Turning back, Stoick noticed a bit of tension filling Ken's body as Hiccup came closer. Sitting next to Stoick, Hiccup eyed the two foreigners with curiosity.
"We do live in harmony with the dragons," Stoick started off, "but why does that interest you?" Ken brought his hand behind his son and brought him forward slightly. Stoick hadn't noticed before, but here was a visible bulge in the boy's shirt, as if he was packing on some weight.
"A boy?" Hiccup said accidently, the words slipping from his mouth. As soon as the words left, Hiccup brought up a paw to his mouth and looked away quickly as if he didn't do anything wrong.
"Why do you look so embarassed?" Ken asked suddenly, staring at Hiccup, "Is there some custom I am not aware off?" Stoick opened his mouth to speak but wasn't quite what he would say in response.
"No?" Hiccup said, "You're no surprised by a talking dragon?" Ken laughed and patted his son on the shoulder, making the boy jump a little at the contact.
"Of course not!" Ken said, shaking his head slightly, "All dragons talk." Stoick and Hiccup looked at each other weirdly and looked back towards the newcomers.
"Where are you from exactly?" Stoick asked. Ken looked over at the sea that flew into the horizon in an endless expanse.
"Japan, and we came here to seek refuge," Ken said, repeating what he said earlier. Stoick scratched his head and took a breath.
"You still haven't answered me," Stoick said with a tinge of agitation in his voice, "Why does Berk interest you?" Ken once again motioned towards his son who continued looking towards the floorboards. Hiccup looked at the boy and noticed the bulge in his shirt.
"Is there something wrong with him?" Stoick asked. Ken shook his head and turned to his son, whispering in his ears in his native tongue. Tatsuo slowly looked up, his eyes dim with an exhausted look. The boy reached down at the bulge in his shirt and rubbed it. The bulge suddenly moved, snaking its way up the boys shirt and popping out of the collar.
"A dragon?" Hiccup said. Sure enough, it was a young dragon. It was a soft blue color, with a lighter shade trailing down his underbelly, and darker fur flowing down its head and back. It had short whiskers and dull teeth, but had big grey eyes that stared at Hiccup with curiosity and innocence.
"Hi!" the little dragon said eagerly, smiling as he stared at the vikings, "You look weird!" Hiccup tilted his head at the little dragon, trying to figure out what breed of dragon it was.
"I've never seen anything like you before," Hiccup finally managed to say. Getting closer, Hiccup soaked in the details of the little one, curious about its smallers features. The little dragon jumped from Tatsuo's shirt and clasped onto Hiccup's face. Hiccup slowly drew back to where he was standing, staring at two big grey eyes.
"You have green eyes!" the little dragon said, "They're pretty!" Hiccup looked into the dragon's eyes, quite mesmerized by his little face.
"Thank you," Hiccup said softly, his voice suddenly changing to a much sweeter tone, "My name is Hiccup." The little dragon sounded out the name and repeated it back to the Night Fury.
"Hiccup?" the little dragon said again, "My name is Ryuu." Following the same pattern, he sounded out his own name before repeating it back to the Night Fury. Suddenly the dragon was off Hiccup's face and being slid back into Tatsuo's shirt. Ryuu looked up at the boy, clearly annoyed but stayed where he was.
"You sailed all this way on the rumour that we lived with dragons?" Stoick said, slightly amazed by their tenacity, and by their hopelessness.
"Yes," Ken answered back quickly, "Will you let us stay, Mr...Mr...?"
"Stoick, and this is my son Hiccup," Stoick said, "Listen, I can't make a decision like this on my own, you'll have to come with me and we'll have a general assembly to decide." Ken nodded and followed Stoick towards the Great Hall, leaving Hiccup, Tatsuo, and Ryuu alone. Hiccup watched as Stoick and Ken disappeared out of sight and turned back towards Tatsuo, curious about these newcomers. Not surprisingly, the two had vanished back onto the ship, leaving a lone Night Fury staring at empty space.
Hiccup stood alone in his house, mildly going over the events in his head. It wasn't often newcomers came to the island, and it certainly wasn't often those newcomers traveled so far. Strong arms wrapped around the smaller dragon and pulled him in close. Hiccup let out a yelp of terror and jump in the larger dragon's arms. Toothless just laughed as he slowly swayed the two of them.
"I'm sorry," Toothless said softly.
"No you're not," Hiccup responded coldly.
"You're right," Toothless said, licking his love's head in affection, "How has your day gone?" Hiccup took a deep breath and slowly sighed.
"Unexpectedly," Hiccup said softly, rubbing his eyes for a moment, "We've got new arrivals from distant lands, and a new dragon as well." Toothless stopped the swaying momentarily, but continued on.
"A new dragon?" the Night Fury said with curiosity. Hiccup nodded his head in confirmation, recalling the details of the little Ryuu.
"His names Ryuu," Hiccup said, "and I've never seen a dragon like him before."
"Oh really?" Toothless said, "Remember when you'd never seen a dragon like me before?" Hiccup laughed softly and nodded.
"Oh I remembered," Hiccup said, "Nearly popped my eardrums too." Toothless licked his love again and laughed softly.
"That was before I knew how amazingly sexy you were," Toothless said. Hiccup shook his head, letting a little chuckle escape his mouth.
"Smooth," Hiccup said teasingly, "How did the patrol go?" Toothless rested his chin on Hiccup's head, much to the displeasure of the smaller dragon.
"Nothing too out of the ordinary," Toothless said boredly, "Had to break up a fight between a Nightmare and a Nadder, who turned out to be Hookfang and Stormfly. Well, it wasn't really a fight, more of Stormfly whipping the hell out of Hookfang."
"Hookfang flirted with her?" Hiccup asked. Toothless smiled and nodded, lifting his head up from his comfortable headrest. Hiccup rubs his head slightly and then turned around in his love's arms. Hiccup wrapped his paws around Toothless' neck and kissed him gently, relishing in the moment. Pulling away, Hiccup rested his head on Toothless, feeling his warmth surround him.
"Is it bad I miss the excitement we used to have in our life?" Hiccup said softly, "I know it was dangerous and sometimes stressful, but life's getting so boring." Toothless smiled and licked Hiccup's head again.
"I know what you mean," Toothless said softly, "but for now, our next adventure should involve making lunch." Hiccup smiled and nodded.
"Always my love," Hiccup said as the two turned towards the counter and worked on preparing their lunch. Together, in a warm and loving silence, they worked.