This story is getting so long, hope you all enjoy this new chapter in it!
It had taken the group of five a while to pick where they would be staying, but eventually, they had and Stoick had given his approval; So with that, the group immediately decided to travel to the spot they had chosen.
The spot they choose was only a minute or two's walk from the beach and thus, the ocean. The spot was also only about a ten-minute walk from the village, but much faster while flying, and the spot itself was very devoid of trees and boulders, making it the perfect clear open area for construction of anything the group decided to build.
Lok looked over the area, remarking, "Nice." Shadow also looked around, taking in the view they had of the ocean through the trees and the boulder-less open area to build on, the Ender Dragon nodded to himself, *Well, we definitely choose a good spot.*
Ash looked around and made a grumbled noise of agreement, whilst Rory nodded and spoke, *Plenty of space, plenty of trees, and I don't have to act like a kicked dog whenever Stoick walks by, win-win all around; So, who wants to start tearing down trees?*
Lok clapped his hands and spoke, "Well, we have a lot to do; We need to start breaking down some of these trees, drying them so they don't warp over time, collecting and breaking up stone to mix concrete, dig and lay a foundation, drill a water well pump..." He seemed to trail on and on.
Shadow shrugged to Rory and remarked, *I might as well go and try to decimate the forest.* However, before Shadow could go off to do that, Ash's eyes went wide and the little dragon asked all of them, *Do I get some booze now?*
*I don't think so, Ash,* Shadow told him and turned to Lok, pointing out that, *First we need a design of just what the heck we're going to build.* However, before Lok could answer or Shadow could pry further, Ash spoke up and practically whined, *Awwww why not?*
Shadow turned to Ash with an unamused expression, asking, *How old are you again?* Ash paused and nearby Lok spoke up, "He's 13." After a few moments, Ash nodded and answered, *Uhhh, 13; The perfect age to get booze-ified.*
*Then no, you do not get alcohol,* Shadow told the thirteen-year-old seriously, to which Ash seemed to debate ass-shanking the Ender Dragon.
Rory spoke up and suggested, *This's just turf and dirt, we can claw a floorplan out and see what we need; Rule number one of construction: measure twice, cut once.* Lok turned to Rory and gestured to them whilst saying to everyone, "Finally, someone speaking my language!"
Shadow really wished he knew anything about construction so he could assist in planning or the actual building part, but he could do heavy lifting he guessed, so he spoke up, *I can do the heavy lifting and some other bits, but construction was never something I was good at beyond Minecraft houses.*
Ash, hearing Rory and Lok, snorted and told them, *Nerds.* Rune shook his head and went off to go find the things they'd need to start building, whilst Lok turned to Ash and told the little dragon, "You'll be thanking us, nerds, when you have a roof over your head." Ash just replied with, *I don't need a roof! The sky is just one big roof.*
"The sky is one big whole," Lok said and Ash just replied with an exaggerated, *Roof.*
Shadow saw Rune was walking away and asked, *Ah, Rune, where are you going?* Rune continued walking but turned to shout back over his shoulder, "To go get tools we need to build!" Shadow nodded and yelled back, *Ah, ok!* After this, the Ender Dragon tried to mimic a thumbs up with his claws but it didn't look quite right, so he just stopped and nodded again.
*Nerd,* Ash told Shadow upon seeing his attempt a thumbs up.
Lok spoke, "Hm, we'll probably need some kind of kilm to speed dry the lumber." Rory turned to them and began to reason this out, *Damn... isn't lumber supposed to season for months? Sure it isn't that humid, but we're right by the ocean; Gonna make this difficult.* Rory groaned in annoyance, *This is what I get for only working with stuff that's already processed.*
*Wait wait, what if we find a cave? Stack all the lumber in a lattice and heat it somehow, like a pizza oven? There probably aren't any Whispering Deaths to do the drilling though, damn...* Rory continued and paused to think.
Suddenly, Shadow looked at Lok and realized something, *Wait, we're forgetting another thing; It's still winter, and the two humans are wearing thin clothing; Didn't the satchel Hiccup gave us contain supplies? Maybe it has some warmer clothing in it? I don't know exactly what he brought...* Ash, hearing this, spoke up and told Lok, *Hah, you nerds, needing clothing, L.*
*And we still need some idea of what exactly we're going to build,* Shadow told them and Ash spoke up instantly with a suggestion of, *A booze building!* Shadow turned to look at Ash and gave the little dragon a firm glare as he told him, *You're still 13, the building we live in doesn't change that.* Ash, however, was undeterred and continued to rant, *But I want booze! Or booze with dragon nip! Double booze!*
Rory continued finally, *Oh, and the chimney! That needs to go in first, with the framing; And we need to build these openings into the bottom of the hearth so it gets a proper draw, or else the whole place will fill with smoke.* After a pause, they remarked, *Geez, all those documentaries are finally worth something.*
*And we need to get some booze!* Ash shouted but went unignored, whilst Shadow told Rory and Lok, *Glad at the very least two of us have some idea of what to do, if I tried any construction it would probably end up in disaster.*
Rory continued to ramble, *Need tanks for that, probably out of wood; They'll build up their own native yeast culture after a while, and you can use the froth on top as a starter for bread; So, its best for the floor to be stone so it doesn't rot out from underneath us, nice thick beams we can nail hooks n shelves and stuff into, and- oh, the first movie the stairs were just notches carved into a whole log, that'll save time...*
"I can also rig up plumbing and possibly even some rudimentary heating system," Lok spoke up, "The only problem is running the pumps." And then Ash spoke up again to Rory, putting emphasis on their last word, *And booze.*
Rory stared at the hybrid and spoke, *You... Ash; The average 'ale' was like, two percent alcohol,* The Stormcutter sighed and turned to Lok, *But, don't we only need one? Put a water tank up high and let gravity do the work.*
"Hm, yeah, if we build an aqueduct that solves needing a pump for running water," Lok replied, "But a hydronic heating system will still require some form of pump to cycle the water through the pipes." Meanwhile, Shadow had moved to another area and used his paw to clear the snow so he could access the dirt, the dragon attempting to use his claws to draw and failing.
*Even if we had a manual pump, me or Shadow only need to pump something like a bellows a few times and it's done; Like standard air bellows with some one-way valves, even if it's leather that should be waterproof enough to work,* Rory mused, *And... brewing is probably gonna stink up the place, do we really want those vats where we sleep?*
"... Are you talking about a brewery or the house heating system?" Lok asked confused and Rory realized they'd got distracted by Ash, glaring at the little dragon who just cried out, *Booze!*
Rune walked back up to the group with a bag of tools they'd need, most likely lent to him temporarily by Hiccup. "Hey guys, I'm back!" Rune called out as he approached and set the tool bag down somewhere obvious so that it didn't get lost.
*Welcome back,* Shadow greeted Rune with a glance and Ash came over to the human, complaining, *Ruuuuuuuune they're being all nerdy!* Rune, however, just nodded and remarked, "Then I guess they are making decent progress on what we plan on building." Shadow, hearing this, grumbled to himself, *If only I knew what we are even building.*
Rory spoke up as they got back on track, *Oh, the water tank on the roof; But for heating, would convection be enough? If it's a closed system, with some kinda steam valve...* Lok nodded and spoke, "Hm, that could work; I've worked on a few hydronic systems, I've never seen one operate like that but it's but it just might work."
Ash meanwhile grumbled and began to walk away, *Well, if you guys are gonna be nerding for a while, imma go hunt, maybe there are some boars here or something* Shadow glanced at Ash and yelled, *Don't wander too far! I might end up joining you...*
Lok thought more about their idea and remarked, "Actually, yeah that's an amazing idea; We'd have to keep a furnace running at high heat 24/7, but with dragon fuels that should be a cakewalk!"
*Or, oh! Build a water tank kinda inside the chimney, let the steam do the heating, and make a condenser run of pipe by the wall, then a shorter run right before the tank so the water can heat back up again as it empties in!* Rory buzzed with excitement before slowly slowing down, *Now, I barely know what I'm talking about, so don't mind everything I say...*
Lok however, understood, "Hm, yeah, I think I'm getting it." With that, the human cleared some snow and learned over, using a stick to begin sketching the system into the dirt.
Shadow however finally gave up on his drawing attempts, annoyed that he couldn't get it, and settled for aimlessly walking around in circles. He was bored with nothing to do, and so he muttered, *Maybe I should go hunt with Ash, or maybe take a flight around the island a few times... I could also decimate a part of the forest, but the Berkians might not be too happy about that...* Lok didn't look up or pause drawing as he settled for waving a hand in Shadow's direction, telling the Ender Dragon, "Sounds good."
*Oh, wait, Shadow-* Rory spoke upon hearing Shadow, waving a wing in order to get the dragon's attention, *If you want to look for trees, only go after something nice ann straight, no low branches, and no rot or cracks; That's our best bet for lumber that won't warp too much.*
Shadow nodded and replied with, *Sure, if I end up doing that, I have no idea what I'm going to do; Especially considering I'm basically useless for... this,* They gestured to Lok planning, *I have no knowledge in construction.*
"Hm, Rune, when you got those tools did you grab any paper? It may be nice to sketch out some blueprints," Lok asked and Rune nodded, pulling out a few pieces and a charcoal pencil, telling Lok, "Yeah I got some." Lok took it with a thankful nod and looked it over before remarking, "Nice, time to start sketching..."
Rory moved to beside Lok and continued speaking, *And for a dragon-sized room, it might be better to have a sorta... twisted entrance, something to block drafts instead of a big barn door; Gotta think about insulation.* Lok nodded and spoke, "Hm, yeah; Insulating this place isn't gonna be easy, it's not like we have modern resources." After a moment, Rory spoke up with a suggestion, *Would double walls work? For the external walls; And we fill in the space with like, dirt or something... That would block a lot of wind, especially if we plaster the inside...*
Lok nodded, "Hm, even just air is a pretty good insulator; Double walls are a must, they also let us more easily run piping."
Ash, meanwhile, trotted back out of the woods with a small bit of fluff on his face as he spoke, *GUUUUUUYS, I caught a squirrel! Ridiculous amount of fluff on 'em.* Shadow, oblivious to the fate of the squirrel, asked as he glanced at the hybrid, *And where is the squirrel?*
Ash attempted to raise an eyebrow before remembering he didn't have one, *Uh, in my fucking stomach? Where else would I put it?* Shadow didn't know, he was bored and hungry so he just replied to Ash with, *I don't know... Ugh, I'm too bored, I'm gonna go fly through the village and probably scare the shit out of some Vikings.*
*Yes! I approve of that; Can I join you? I wanna shank shit,* Ash spoke up excitedly and Shadow pause mid-takeoff glanced at him, and told the hybrid, *I'm going to be trying some flight maneuvers I haven't before and I don't want to worry about you falling off whilst doing them; Also I don't intend to cause any harm... just maybe scare someone or multiple someones shitless.*
Ash flapped his wings and dramatically fell on his back, telling Shadow, *C'mon dude, I've got wings, if I fall I can just glide.*
Shadow internally debated it before sighing, *Fine but hold on tightly cause I'm not holding back on speed or maneuvers.* Shadow lowered a wing for Ash to climb up and the little hybrid quickly hopped up onto Shadow's wing and climbed up onto the Ender Dragon's back. *Hold on tightly.*
Shadow turned to Rory and Lok, *Be back in a little bit with Berk hopefully not trying to kill us for me scaring the shit outta them.* The two weren't listening, however.
Rory spoke to Lok, *Just need limestone for plaster, but this whole island is igneous rock... Might have to explore a bit for that,* They pouted, *At least I know rocks.* Lok continued on, "Hm, actually wool would probably work really well, the only problem is getting enough... Oh, yeah, we also probably want to make concrete too."
Shadow crouched and prepared to jump, whilst Ash attempted to flip off the two who were so engrossed in their conversation they didn't even hear the hybrid tell them, *Have fun with your nerding!* And with that, Shadow lept into the air and began to fly towards the village at his top speed.
Shadow flew towards the village at high speed, pushing himself to his limits whilst Ash whooped and shouted, *LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOO!*
Shadow flew into the village at a high speed, doing a barrel roll before diving down and landing with a run on one of the village houses; Thankfully the huts were all in a row, so he ran from hut to hut before leaping off of the last one, divining underneath a bridge and gliding over the Berk docks.
*WOOHOOOO!* Ash cheered again and Shadow flew up and did a spin as he rose, before coming to a stop and stilling, pulling his wings in and letting himself fall for a good five seconds before spinning around and throwing out his wings, settling into a high-speed glide over most of the village.
Shadow turned and dove towards a gap between two huts, saying quickly, *Ok please don't crash, please don't crash-* Ash, however, shouted, *LET'S FUCKING CRASH INTO THE SUN!*
Shadow spins, tucking in his legs, wings, and sucking in his chest and stomach just to be safe; His back had a good distance from the huts so Ash was fine, but Shadow's chest scrapped lightly against the hut, thankfully not damaging it. He came out and shot upwards, going very high and settling into a calmer glide whilst Ash shouted, *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!*
Suddenly a thought entered Shadow's mind, *I wonder if I could recreate that one scene from Into the Spider-Verse... hmmm...* Ash, hearing this, stared at him and shouted, *DO IT!* And Shadow, on a high off the adrenaline of which he was coming to love, remarked, *Fuck it, might as well try.* Shadow flew up to the very top of the mountain Berk's Great Hall was imbedded in, landing sideways on the side and managing to just barely get a grip with his claws. He was hanging off the side of the mountain, easily hundreds of feet above the village...
*Oh this could end very badly...* Shadow remarked as he realized the danger, but Ash shouted, *LET'S GO!* Shadow, still high off the adrenaline, remarked with an amused tone, *But screw it! I never had a sense of self-preservation anyways!*
Shadow pushed himself away from the mountain, spinning head over tail and not letting his wings out in order to stop. *3, 2, 1...* The Ender Dragon counted the seconds until he couldn't recover from the fall before throwing out his wings at the very last second, suddenly shooting up as a gust of wind caught his wings and made them act like a parachute.
*WHOOOOOOOOOO THIS IS AMAZING!* Ash shouted and thrust his own wings out in elation, whilst Shadow glided to the ground and came to a running stop, and saw some nearby shocked Vikings who'd just watched the Ender Dragon plummet out of the sky with a much smaller dragon on his back.
Shadow turned to the Vikings and shouted, *It's ok!* The Vikings didn't understand the words and decided to just leave, and Ash barked a laugh and remarked, *Hah! Get 'em!*
Shadow pushed himself off the ground and into a hover, looking for some spot to sit for a few moments just to catch his breath. After a moment, he found a hut near the Great Hall that looked sturdy enough to support his weight. Slowly, he flew over to it and landed on it, sitting down with a grunt of tiredness before remarking, *Ok, that was fun.*
*What do you mean fun? That was incredible!* Ash said in excitement and Shadow took a deep breath to recover, *Yeah... yeah it was; Waited a long time to ever be able to do that...* Shadow looked around whilst still recovering from the daring flight maneuvers, the Ender Dragon spotting some drunk Vikings stumbling out of the Great Hall with drinks held in their hands.
*Heh, drunk Vikings, I feel like a joke could be made there but I got nothing,* Shadow remarked and Ash sadly told him, *I wanna get drunk…* Shadow shook his head to that.
Shadow sighed as the flight had been fun but he was growing bored again, and he could feel his stomach twisting slightly painfully from hunger. The flight had been fun but it didn't give him something to occupy his mind with as well as his body, and as such, the dragon's thoughts began to wander.
*Alcohol... reminds me that the Discord server we all meet on was named the Salty Dragon Bar and...* Shadow began to mumble before his eyes went wide as his unable-to-stop-thinking brain came up with an idea, *I just got an idea; A maybe terrible maybe good idea.*
*Does it involve booze?* Ash asked and Shadow shrugged with a reply of, *I guess yes.* Ash nodded and told the Ender Dragon, *Okay I approve then.*
After a moment, Shadow spoke up, *Ok, here's my idea, we run a bar and grill named after the server we all came from.* The Ender Dragon waited for this idea to be shot down, almost all of his ideas born out of boredom were due to them usually being more insane. Ash, however, nodded approvingly, * Booze! I guess there's still hope for you.*
Shadow was surprised but nodded, *Ok, we gotta tell the others.* Shadow got up and quickly rocketed off, heading back towards the location that belonged to their little group.
Meanwhile, Rory and Lok continued their conversation, *I think that needs quicklime too, right? Plus sand and gravel and water; But wool for insulation... you'd be better off using it for clothes.* Rory chuckled and Lok nodded, "Yeah... Maybe just use wool insulation for the bedrooms or other areas it's important to keep extra warm; Hm, also, how the hell are we gonna build an aqueduct."
"We'll need to find a good freshwater source; Shouldn't be too hard though, there's probably plenty of places with runoff from snow..." Lok looked up at the mountains and after a moment Rory spoke up, *Build a well, with a couple of stages of bellows-pumps? Pump right out of the well, into a ground-level tank, then another to a rooftop tank. That's... the best I've got.* The Stormcutter shrugged.
"Yeah, a well pump would be easy, but it requires constant power to actually get the water, and wouldn't be ideal to use in the heating system; I'm thinking a more Roman-style aqueduct; Or a more modern example, LA," Lok replied.
Rory spoke up, *Right here by the sea, a windmill could work... And what I wouldn't give for a Timberjack.* Lok paused and then remarked, "Hm, yeah I didn't think of a windmill."
Lok looked contemplative, "Dammit, that's actually a really good solution... I really wanted to build a Roman-style aqueduct, but a windmill is probably quite a bit easier than a long pipeline..." Lok shrugged, "Well, if we're not going Roman, Dutch it is! Those Dutch windmills' original purpose was actually to pump water."
"And considering how much of the modern... Well I guess now future, Netherlands is below sea level I guess they work," Lok remarked and then Rory snickered, *Without the tulip speculation bubble I hope.*
*Huh... I wonder if we could find a Timberjack... that could save us days of sawing,* Rory suggested and Lok thought about it, "Yeah, that would be very useful." The human cracked their knuckles and got up, "Well, let's do this; Time to start making friends with dragons, Humans are overrated! Except for hands, I like hands."
*Especially these ones, if we don't fix the timeline,* Rory said in regards to the overrated humans comment and Lok nodded, "Yeah, we really can't fuck up."
After a pause, Rory spoke up, *Now, Hiccup might know if there're any 'Jacks here, or somewhere else; So, best to ask someone in-the-know before we start a wild goose chase.* Lok nodded and agreed, "Yeah, finding one at random will probably take a bit; Getting advice is useful."
Rune, whilst they had been talking, had pulled out his phone and started reading some stories he had saved to this, seeing this Lok told him, "I wouldn't waste the battery on that; It'll probably be a while until we can get a generator up to recharge it."
Rune looked up and replied, "Yeah I know but I've literally got nothing else to do right now, till you guys figure out what you want us to build." Lok considered this and nodded, "Fair point."
Lok turned to Rory, "Anyway, we should find Hiccup and see about where we'd locate a Timberjack! Because before we build anything we're gonna need lumber." Rory stretched and offered a wing, *Alright boys, hop aboard; No time like the present to get started.*
However, before Lok could get halfway onto Rory, Shadow came flying in at an extremely high speed, missing and then sharply turning to come back towards them, the Ender Dragon shouting, *Guys! Guys, guys, guys, guys, GUYS!* The dragon landed in a sprint, coming to a stop with a grunt of exhaustion.
Lok looked over at Shadow with a perturbed expression and the Ender Dragon quickly spoke, *I got an idea! For, what we could build.* Lok turned and told him, "Well, we already know we need a windmill."
Rory sighed, *We'll need limestone too, that'll have to be from another island; But we're off after a Timberjack for wood.* Lok shrugged and mentioned, "Hm, wanna see about also teaming up with a Whispering Death?" Rory perked up and nodded, *Oh, absolutely. I think I've got enough bulk to pick a fight if it came to that, but-*
Shadow spoke up, confused and also wanting to avoid them going on a tangent again, *What? No, no, I'm talking about what kind of building; We could run a bar and grill, named after the server we all came from! I totally swear this idea is a well-thought-out and NOT a boredom-inspired one.* Shadow then thought to himself, * It was totally boredom inspired but they didn't need to know that. *
Lok, now on Rory's back, turned to look at Shadow, "That is the weirdest idea I've ever heard... But it's not like we have anything better to do, and it technically fills the role of being a job." They shrugged and Rory hummed, *Huh, that would solve the money problem for sure...*
Shadow nodded, *Yeah; We need money if we're gonna pay for anything, and unless we wanna become pirates...* The last part was meant as a joke but Lok thought to himself, * Becoming a dragon-riding pirate doesn't sound unappealing .*
Ash excitedly said, *WE GET BOOZE; I wanna be a pirate.*
Shadow did not think it was a good idea, *Being a pirate might not go down well with some of those we need to be allied with.* Ash shrugged and suggested, *I mean, we can just steal from dragon-trappers right?* Lok hummed and spoke up, "Hm, why not both? Run a bar as a front for illegal activities?" Ash just shouted, *YES!*
Shadow huffed and told them seriously, *We can steal from dragon-trappers and those that deserve it but not anyone else, remember, we need to keep some people our allies; No stealing from Berk, especially.* Ash looked at him and just pouted, *Awwwwww.*
"I've dealt with enough crooked accounts in my time to pick up some tricks to cover sketchy finances," Lok said whilst cursing someone in their head, and Shadow turned to tell him, *I probably won't take part in any of the pirate activities unless it's against Dragon Hunters, cause fuck those guys they suck.*
Rory stated, *Dragon hunters are fair game. Best to leave any Outcasts and Berserkers alone, for now, considering they reform themselves eventually...*
"Éh, I'm more thinking under the table arms dealing; It's very lucrative," Lok suggested and Shadow shrugged, *Well, as Grunckle Stan said in Gravity Falls, anything is legal so long as there are no cops around,* Shadow turned to Rune and asked, *Rune, what do you think of the idea of running a bar and grill?*
"I'm fine with it, but we need to figure out a way to keep Ash away from the products," Rune told them and pointed at Ash, who asked in a drawn-out way, *Whyyyyyyy?* Rune just leveled him a 'really' look and replied with, "Cause your a minor and irresponsible."
*We'll put a lock on the liquor cabinet or something,* Shadow said simply and Ash stared at Rune, seriously telling him, *No I'm not, I am the most responsible one here; Also, I'm physically an adult, so suck it.* Rune just gave a look at Ash that simply conveyed that the human knew it was a lie.
"Also, keep the child out of the basement. I don't want him blowing up the water heater," Lok told them and Rune told Ash very simply, "No you are physically a 13 year old, with the brain of a 4-year-old." Ash snarled back, *Fuck you.* Lok told the hybrid, "You're a child, Ash."
*NO,* Ash said to Rune's comment about having the brain of a four-year-old, and Rune simply told him, "Then quit acting like it and we might start to trust you."
Shadow faked a cough and spoke up, *Anyways, seems like we're doing a bar and grill now.* Shadow turned to Rory and Lok, rolling his eyes at Ash's antics whilst asking, *What were you two doing before we came back?*
"Well, designing a hydronic heating system powered by a thermosiphon tank," Lok remarked and Rory spoke up with much more useful info, *We were off to look for a Timberjack, to get the lumber started; Can't do anything without that, and Hiccup would know the last place they've seen one.*
Shadow nodded, *True, Hiccup probably would know where a Timberjack is... or maybe Fishlegs? They both might know.* Lok nodded, "Yeah, you're right; But we should probably stop dawdling and get going." The last bit was said to Rory, who prepared to take off...
Until Rune asked an important question, "Question is how are we going to get the Timberjack to agree to help us?" Lok nodded and just pointed to himself whilst saying, "Leave it to me." Shadow seemed to think and suggested an idea, *Pay the Timberjack in fish maybe?* Rory however, seemed to have much better ideas and suggested, *Well, they like a good scrub across the shoulders, they live in forests, and we can catch all the fish they could want; Only have to tempt one over for a day or three.*
"Exactly; And I have hands, good for giving relieving itches," Lok explained and Shadow seemed to think of something, *Wait, let me try something...*
Shadow walked over to a nearby straight tall tree, fitting the exact needs they would for lumbar. One deep breath and the Ender Dragon spun in place, slamming his tree into the tail as hard as he could in an attempt to knock it down... only for his tail to get stuck halfway through, *Um... I overestimated my strength,* Shadow tried to tug his tail lose but it wouldn't come free, *And I may be stuck.*
*L, suck it bitch,* Ash told the stuck Ender Dragon whilst Lok looked unimpressed with the display. Shadow glared at Ash and sarcastically told the hybrid, *When I get free I'll eat you, I haven't eaten anything except like three or four fish yesterday.* Shadow actually was hungry, but he had more important things to do, specifically get his tail unstuck. So he turned around and began to tug.
Ash growled, *Oh fuck you, I'll shank you from the inside out; Reverse-ass-shanking.* Lok glanced at him and then told the others, "Once we have the bar, we'll need to build Ash a time-out area." Rune spoke up with, "More like a cage or pen."
Shadow shuttered at Ash's words, *I did not need that mental image.* Shadow continued pulling only to stop and take a deep breath, turning to Rory and Lok, *You two can go find Hiccup or Fishlegs for a Timberjack without me... I'm, uh, indisposed.* He gestured to his tail, still stuck in the tree.
"Hm, also, I wonder if speed stinger venom could be used in drinks... If it is venom it shouldn't be toxic if merely ingested; But yeah, Rory, we should head out," Lok mused and Ash spoke up excitedly, *Oooooooo I wanna drug someone.*
Rune sighed and told the two, "I'll stay here and see if I can help get Shadow's tail free." Rory nodded and told Lok, *Here, let's go.* Lok was partially standing and holding onto one of the Stormcutter's spines, and shouted excitedly, "Let's go!"
The Stormcutter took off, heading towards the village and leaving the three behind. Shadow continued to pull at his tail and muttered to himself, *Gods damn it, I had one good idea only to follow it up with a shit one.* Shadow made one massive attempt to yank it out, but the damn thing wouldn't budge, *Damn it, this thing is wedged in their good.*
*L,* Ash told him in a mocking tone and Shadow took a deep breath, growling in annoyance and going back to tugging on his tail whilst muttering, *Lok said venom wasn't toxic if ingested, if my stomach lining is hard enough then Ash can't shank me if I eat him for continuing to say L to me.*
Shadow yanked hard but nothing and the Ender Dragon glared at his tail whilst Ash laughed and shouted, * L! * Shadow glared and then huffed in annoyance, glaring at his tail and remarking, *Ok fuck it, I'm too annoyed and I'm gonna do something stupid.*
*Hah, L,* Ash told the Ender Dragon again and Rune gave Shadow a look whilst speaking, "Shadow, you better not be doing what I think your doing."
Shadow's glare deepened into an unbridled rage and the dragon had had enough, shooting an acid fireball at the tree and thus, also his tail. Turns out the dragon's blind faith in his own acid paid off as his tail wasn't affected by it, but the tree was. The tree fell to the side and Shadow moved his now-free tail, shaking it a few times, *Thank gods I am not affected by my own acid, I would've been down a tail.*
*WHAT THE FUCK!* Ash shouted in surprise and Rune shrugged, "Well, guess that works."
Shadow paused, smirked, and turned to stare at Ash with an amused expression as he asked, *What did you say about L?* Ash just stared at him like he was insane and shouted, *OH WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, YOU COULD'VE TAKEN YOUR TAIL OFF!*
Shadow's eyes narrowed as he said, *But I didn't, and now I'm free, and I had to listen to you say L to me four separate times.* Shadow took a step towards the hybrid.
*Listen, L is a very important letter,* Ash said quickly in an attempt to lie, but Shadow's eyes narrowed further as he took another step forward, telling the little hybrid, *I know what the L means, I know what it stands for... Do you know what's also an L? Whatever is my lunch.*
Shadow faked licking his lips and gave the hybrid a 'run you little shit' look, the Ender Dragon thinking to himself, * I'm not actually gonna eat him, but I will give him some exercise and payback for saying L to me four times. *
"Alright, can we calm down before things get out of hand, mainly Ash, and someone gets home," Rune spoke up but Ash yelped and tried to run away as fast as he could, shouting, *HELLLLLLLLP!* Rune sighed and buried his head in his hands.
Shadow chased after the small hybrid half-heartedly, winking at Rune and not realizing the human didn't see it. Shadow turned to glare at Ash, shouting and channeling his inner-actor, *Come here, I haven't eaten in a very long time!* It did sound real because he was actually hungry, but he wasn't gonna eat Ash.
Ash let out a high-pitched shriek and bolted over to Rune, hiding behind them and shouting, *HELP ME, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!* As Shadow came to a stop right in front of Rune, sliding into a sitting position, Ash yelped and asked Rune, *HELP ME RUNE!*
*Out of the way, Rune,* Shadow said calmly with a smirk and Ash shrieked at Rune, *RUNE DON'T GET OUT OF THE WAY!* Shadow smirked hard and just told the human, *No, Rune, move out of the way; You don't want to get between a dragon and their meal.* Shadow was happy at least he could add acting to his list of abilities.
Rune looked up at Shadow whilst Ash hid behind Rune, and the human told the Ender Dragon seriously, "As much as I think Ash probably deserves it, we have much more important things to do." Ash, hearing this, cheered, *LETS GOOOOOOOOO! RUNE, YOU EARNED SOME RAMEN!* Rune turned to the little dragon and said, "But Ash needs to promise to behave for the rest of the day." The hybrid grumbled in annoyance but said quietly, *Ugh, fine.*
Rune turned to Shadow and nodded, "Shadow, please stand down." Shadow sighed and rolled his eyes, replied with, *Whatever, I was just joking; Ash wouldn't be a filling meal for me anyways, he's too small.*
*Fuck off,* Ash told the Ender Dragon and Rune lightly kicked the hybrid and gave him a small hum, "Hey, behave." Ash huffed and glanced away, *Hmph.*
Shadow stilled and then grumbled as he felt his stomach twisting again in hunger, *Anyways, I am actually hungry; I wasn't lying about that, just the 'eating Ash' part.* Ash glanced at the forest then back at the Ender Dragon before telling him that, *Well, there are squirrels in the woods, you can eat them.* Shadow gave the little hybrid a look and gestured to himself with one paw, *Do I look like a few squirrels will satisfy me? Also, I'm not even sure I could catch the little buggers.*
*Eat all the squirrels, they're demons,* Ash told him and Rune hummed, "Maybe you can find some game in the woods, or go fishing?" Shadow began to think to himself for a moment before nodding and declaring, *Ocean's only a minute or twos walk away, I'll go fish; Wanna join me?* The last part was asked of Rune and Ash.
*I'mma sleep now, pretty tired,* Ash told him and walked over to a shaded spot, quickly laying down and falling asleep. Shadow shrugged and said, *Well, you can rest, I did wear you out chasing you around,* The Ender Dragon then looked at Rune, *Want to join me or stay here with Ash?*
"Sure," Rune said and then began to walk over before pausing and asking, "I don't have to pay you to ride on your back right?" Shadow snorted and told him simply, *No, I axed the fish tax altogether; Apparently, I like giving people rides and people don't want to go for a ride if they have to pay a ton of fish.*
"Alright, then I'm in," Rune stated and ran over to Shadow, quickly climbing up the Ender Dragon and sitting on his back. Shadow turned around and nodded, *I'll just walk, I would fly but I want to rest my wings a bit.* Rune nodded back, "Oh, that's fine."
And with that Shadow, with Rune on his back, walked away from the clearing and towards the beach.
Rory flew into the village and looked around before landing in the open center of the village, landing next to it much easier than their previous landings. *Maybe, we try the smithy?* Lok nodded, "Yeah, good idea." Lok looked around and quickly spotted the Forge, Hiccup working on what appeared to be an ax.
Lok slid off of Rory and ran up to the Forge, "Hey, Hiccup!" Hiccup, hearing his name being called, looked up and turned in surprise to see Lok, calling out and greeting him, "Oh, hey!"
*Oh, I'll wait outside then,* Rory said and tucked in to keep out of the way, but leaned close enough to the window of the Forge to listen in.
Lok subtly nodded to Rory and then turned to Hiccup, who'd paused his forging to listen to what Lok had to ask, "Have you seen any Timberjacks around?" Hiccup hummed and thought to himself before replying with, "I haven't seen any on Berk, no... but there might be some on Dragon Island; Why do you ask?"
"Help with construction, we need to cut a lot of lumber and Timberjacks are notoriously good at that; Also, along the same vein, do you know where we could find Whispering Deaths?" Lok asked and then thought to himself, " Wait isn't there some literally right under Berk? "
Hiccup shook his head and replied, "I don't think there are any Whispering Deaths on Berk or Dragon Island, the location of them might be in the Book of Dragons though, although you'd have to ask Fishlegs." Lok nodded and thanked him, "Hm, ok, well, thanks for the tip on the Timberjacks!" Hiccup nodded back and said, "No problem."
Rory spoke up quietly as Lok exited the forge, *Okay, Dragon Island for sure. Some Whispers could've moved in; The Outcasts haven't done the thing with the eggs under Berk yet, and Nemesis is out there somewhere...*
Lok climbed up onto Rory's back again and held on, saying, "Yeah, Dragon Island it is! Hmm, maybe there are Whispering Deaths on Outcast Island?" Rory began to take off but paused, *Wait.*
*I might have some dragon-navigation powers, but we don't actually know the way,* Rory questioned and then spotted a Nadder, *Maybe- hey, you!* The passing Nadder froze mid-step, quills perking as they looked over at the Stormcutter, who asked, *Yes, you; We're new here, can you show us the way to the volcano-nest? There might be someone there that can help us.*
Slowly the Nadder nodded but waited until Rory got into the air in order to fly up and join them, leading them in the direction of Dragon Island. Lok held onto one of Rory's spines whilst somewhat standing, whispering, "Flying will never get old."
Shadow walked out of the treeline and onto the beaches of Berk, coming to a stop and taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes and just... listened. *You know, I've never seen the ocean before in my entire life...* Shadow chuckled, *Heck of a first time.*
"I used to live next to the coast so I've seen the ocean plenty of times; Still is a beautiful sight though," Rune said and Shadow opened his eyes, looking out at the endless watery plane that made up the sea, the dragon remarking, *And different this time, this time we're seeing the oceans of the Archipelago.* Shadow walked further down the beach, coming up close to the water and stopping, crouching so Rune could climb off.
Rune climbed off of Shadow and looked at the dragon's eyes, thanking him, "Thanks for the ride." Shadow nodded, *Your welcome.* Shadow looked out at the ocean and marveled at the sight, whilst Rune took a deep breath and remarked, "Ah I always love the smell of the ocean, reminds me of home."
Shadow took a deep breath as he felt his stomach painfully twist again, this time letting out an audible growl. The Ender Dragon stretched and remarked, *Ok, time to get some food; I want my stomach to stop annoying me.*
"Well I could try to make a fishing rod, but you're probably going to have to do it the old fashion way," Rune told him and Shadow smirked, *Old fashioned way is my kind of way.*
The smirk turned into a frown as the Ender Dragon questioned, *I wonder if there are sharks around here...* Rune then told him, "Sharks are probably more afraid of you than you are of them, as your an alpha predator and are just as big as them, they shouldn't bother you." Shadow nodded and curiously asked, *I wonder if I could eat a shark...*
"Most definitely can," Rune told him and Shadow smirked, *Let's see if I can find a shark...*
Shadow ran into the water and then jumped into the deep part, only to realize, * Oh fuck I can't swim- * Shadow forcibly calmed himself as he knew freaking out underwater would only lead to him drowning. He remembered how a dog swam and copied it, taking a few moments to get a hang of it and bring his head above water.
He took a deep breath and paddled in place, turning to Rune and sheepishly admitting, *Is this a bad time to say... I never learned to swim?* Rune looked at him in disbelieve and just had to ask, "Seriously you never learned to swim, even before turning into a dragon?"
*I... never did, no,* Shadow admitted and then thought for a moment before speaking up, *How hard can it be?* Rune quickly told him, "It's not, it's just figuring out how to position and move your body correctly." Shadow nodded and asked, *Got any tips?*
Rune answered, "Just don't panic and don't try to paddle too hard or you will tire yourself out or get a cramp; Besides that keep your head above water." Shadow nodded and then asked, *Ok, ok, what about swimming underwater? If I take a deep breath beforehand, do I breathe out through my nose, er, nostrils whilst underwater? I think so... Then do I move like, say, a snake would?*
Rune quickly told him, "No, while underwater hold your breath out through your nose; Unless you're referring to partially submerging your head then yes; Also I know the way to do it as a human but for a dragon, I'm not so sure; If that doesn't work try doing it like a dolphin or like a dog, but please do this on the shallow side of the ocean in case that doesn't work so you won't drown, as I won't be able to save you."
*I could always, you know, fly out of the ocean? If worst comes to worst and I can't do it,* Shadow told him and took a deep breath, *Ok, let's try this.* Shadow took an even deeper breath and filled his new Ender Dragon lungs as much as possible before diving deep under the surface of the water.
* Don't panic, just focus, * Shadow thought to himself whilst using his legs and wings to push himself through the water, eventually finding a position that worked well for movement. It was a bit difficult but manageable. The ocean water was so clear due to the lack of pollution, Shadow noticed, and with his new dragon vision, he could see farther and better underwater with the water irritating his eyes like when he was human.
Rune waited quietly on the beach, watching nervously as he worried a bit for his friend. Below the surface, Shadow managed to find a school of fish and felt the urge to lick his lips, his stomach painfully twisting in hunger. But then Shadow realized he had no idea how to catch them, so he swam up and resurfaced, taking a deep breath.
*I found a school, flight, something of fish but how am I supposed to catch them underwater?* Shadow asked as he remained at the water's surface and Rune just told him, "I don't know, let your instincts take over they know what to do."
Shadow sighed, *I've been told that, but I don't think when I became an Ender Dragon I got the full dragon instincts package.* Rune eventually spoke, "I don't know, it's simple but complex, sneak up to your target and wait until the perfect moment to strike, then strike for the killing blow and do not hesitate."
*I mean, I know that but how do I do that underwater if I can't open my mouth?* Shadow asked for clarification and Rune did, "You can just don't try to breathe." Shadow was a bit confused and asked, *What, how... so I just open my mouth, catch fish, close mouth, swallow fish, repeat?* Rune nodded, "Yeah pretty much, and come up for air when you need it."
Shadow shrugged, *Ok then...* Another deep breath and back under the waves he went, refinding the school of fish and swimming up to them, keeping just enough distance to not disturb them yet. He mentally collected himself and shot forward, opening his mouth and resisting the urge to breathe or swallow as quickly got three fish in his mouth, snapping his jaw shut around them.
* Ok, this is gonna be weird, they're still alive and I have to swallow them, * Shadow thought and swallowed, shivering as he did so, * Eheheh, that was weird and slightly uncomfortable, given the fish had been still moving, but whatever. *
Shadow swam up and resurfaced, taking a deep breath and remarking, *Gah, swallowing living fish is so fucking weird; And trust me I considered chewing but with how my jaw works, trying that would've opened my mouth I think.* Rune simply told him, "I know but this is how it is to be an animal, especially a dragon."
Shadow shrugged, *I guess I'll just have to get used to it; Anyways, I only got 3 fish, I'm gonna get the rest of 'em.* Rune simply wished him, "Good luck."
With that, Shadow took a deep breath and went under the water again; Slowly, over the course of ten to fifteen minutes, he hunted all of the fish. Open mouth, get fish in, shut mouth, swallow, surface, breath, go back under. He repeated this until basically the entire school of fish was in his stomach, the dragon surfacing again and beginning to paddle towards the shore. *Ok, I got all of them!*
"Nice, so how do you feel?" Rune asked and Shadow took a deep breath, pausing and then beginning to paddle again, *Well, no longer hungry, a little awkward from the feelings of swallow fish and then feeling them for a decent amount of time before... what's the word for when a fish dies of not having water? Asphyxiation? No, that refers to lack of oxygen... Right?*
Shadow reached the shore and pulled himself up onto it, shaking himself somewhat dry and thankfully not hitting Rune with any water. "Its right term is technically suffocate," Rune told him and Shadow paused before his eyes widened, the Ender Dragon thinking he was an idiot, *Wait, aren't their fish troughs in the village for the dragons, couldn't I have just gone there and eaten out of one of those?*
"Well yeah but I think catching your own fish is a lot more fun and rewarding, and you learned how to swim so that's a big win," Rune told him and Shadow grumbled, *I guess it's a win in that regard, but the downside was that it is very weird to feel something, multiple somethings, moving in your mouth, throat and such,* Shadow shivered, *From now on I'm letting my fish die BEFORE I swallow them.*
The Ender Dragon took a deep breath and then asked, *Anyways, I'm no longer hungry, so... what do you want to do now?* Rune eventually suggested, "I kind of want to go flying, as I haven't been up in the air and there is no plane for us yet as they haven't been invented."
*So you want a ride?* Shadow said simply, more of a statement than a question as the dragon lowered his wing for Rune to climb up. Rune did so, climbing onto the Ender Dragon's back and holding onto one of his spines before saying, "Thanks, I'm ready when you are."
Shadow took a deep breath and chuckled, *Really hope there's no 'you shouldn't fly immediately after eating' rule.* Shadow quickly jumped into the air and began to glide around the beach, mainly doing circles and some sharpish turns about twenty feet off the ground. Rune spoke up excitedly, "Woah, this is awesome, it's so different from flying an airplane."
*I'd hope so,* Shadow remarked with a smile on his snout, the dragon banking and beginning to fly over the crystal-clear ocean. Rune was grinning ear from ear as he enjoyed the ride, whilst Shadow glanced down at his reflection in the water.
Shadow first placed a paw on his chest, then his stomach, then his side. Before now he hadn't yet seen himself in a clear reflective surface and this was the closest he had gotten, and probably would get for some time. He shrugged as he flew, studying his reflection, *Not bad, not bad at all.*
Rune asked, "So how does it feel to be flying with your own wings?" Shadow hummed and thought to himself for a moment before answering, *It's... well, it feels like a dream, a wish come true, and like I can finally let my true self out all at once... it's freeing, I feel more free now than I ever have with my life before.*
"Heh, I'm jealous as I love flying, yet I'm still stuck to the ground will you get the gift of flight," Rune replied with a big grin still on his face, although Shadow felt a bit bad. *Oh, I'm sorry then...* The Ender Dragon wasn't sure what he was sorry for, bringing up how freeing it was to someone who would want it? Bringing up how Rune didn't become a dragon?
"Eh, don't be, you got what you dreamed of, you shouldn't feel bad about it especially with me; I just wasn't as lucky," Rune told him and Shadow nodded, storing away the conversation. Focusing, the Ender Dragon realized he'd flown quite a ways away from Berk, so he turned around and began to fly back.
Shadow yawned tiredly, his stomach was easily at max capacity in terms of food and he'd flown multiple times today, some very exhausting, maybe he could take a nap once they got back. It has been a long day... *You wanna continue flying?*
"Nah, you seem tired, we should probably call it a day," Rune answered and Shadow took a deep breath before nodding. *Yeah, turns out flying multiple times in one day and stuffing yourself as much as possible makes you... tired.* Shadow focused on flying, going past the beach and over the small number of trees separating the beach from the future site of the Salty Dragon Bar.
Shadow came in for a landing, stumbling slightly as he landed but coming to a stop successfully. He took another deep breath and fought the urge to lay down right here and now, *This is our stop.*
"Thanks for the fun flight Shadow," Rune thanked him and Shadow replied with a simple, *No problem.* Shadow lowered himself enough so Rune could climb off easily and the human did so, giving him a quick pat on the side in thanks.
Shadow nodded, *Thanks.* Shadow looked for a spot to lay down, eyes passing over a still-sleeping Ash before finding a shaded spot. He moved over to it slightly slow and used his tail to clear it off snow, before moving to lay on his side and curl up around himself as he wrapped one paw around his stomach. He raised his head and glanced at Rune, *I'm gonna... lay down for a bit; Wake me up when Lok and Rory get back, although you can take a nap as well.*
Rune just nodded and took a seat up against a tree, waiting for Lok and Rory to return. Shadow took a deep breath and curled around himself even more, using his paw to lightly rub his stomach for a brief moment before laying his head by his side and closing his eyes. He pulled a wing over his side and head, slowly falling asleep...
It took nearly an hour for Rory and Lok to reach Dragon Island with the Nadder guiding them, easily the longest both had flown since arriving in this world. Rory could feel some weird tickle in his head, almost like tracing invisible lines between places, and they were confident they could get back home by themselves. So, Rory bid the Nadder farewell and flew on.
Rory rose higher to pass by the sea-stacks, flying past them and coming up upon the actual volcano and island... and the massive bones of the Red Death, sitting where they had ever since Hiccup and Toothless killed it less than one year ago. Rory gasped, *The bones...*
"Damn..." Lok said in shock, taking in the sheer size of the massive dragon from up close as Rory flew by it, "That thing looks a lot bigger in person."
*Alright... if I was a Timberjack with huge-ass wings... I probably wouldn't be going in the tunnels, but I might stick around the vents to stay where it's warm...* Rory guessed and rose higher to look, doing a loop around the mountain in order to look as Lok spoke up, "Also look for any remaining forests; They like chopping things."
By now Lok's legs were starting to cramp from standing so long and keeping balance mid-flight. Rory glanced back and scolded, *You can sit down you know, it'll keep you warmer I'm sure; Now, maybe we're up too high... and a Whisper is bound to be inside...*
Lok shrugged, "Eh, I'm used to the cold, and flying while standing is gonna be a fun skill to show off once mastered; Besides, your shoulders are so wide it's not like I can get a good grip with my legs anyway." Rory just replied with, *Suit yourself. See anything yet? You'd think a 'Jack would be easy to spot...*
They were on the other side of the island now, at the border between the volcanic mountains and a lot of stone plains. Rory turned a corner swooping through a tight crag and coming to a stop as they saw something, thinking to themself, * Huh, what was that? *
There was a Whispering Death, out in the open and under the sun as they were trying to dig into a large stone field but seemed to be having trouble. Lok looked down over Rory's side and spoke, "Hm, well, we needed a Whispering Death, but I didn't bring a broom..." Then, the human whispered, "Do you think it's noticed us yet?"
*I can try the talking on this one, who knows which way this could go...* Rory said, going down towards it, *Don't think it would chase us very far if it decided to pick a fight; Wait- what's it doing out in the open? they hate the light- unless it got bullied out?* Feeling more confident, they went lower and lower until they were close enough to take, but still a respectable distance away. Lok raised their eyebrows at Rory's statement as that was a good point.
*Hello? This seems like a bad spot for you Digger,* Rory questioned and the Whispering Death looked up with a pained hiss, telling the Stormcutter, *Nesssst kicked me out, trying to get... underground. Rocksss are too hard to dig through.*
Realizing he didn't understand the Whispering Death's words, Lok whispered, "Hm, I really gotta figure out this whole dragon language; Language barriers suck." Rory spoke up and tried to sound invested as if sold on the same deal they were selling, *We've come from a place without any diggers, you'd be absolutely pampered! They just need help digging is all, a few holes around the human nests; And they leave fish out for everyone, so you can eat as much as you want!*
The Whispering Death looked up and hissed as the sun caught its eyes, the dragon quickly moving under a nearby tree which they seemed to have gone to before. They must have been moving away from the tree to try and dig underground, but it hadn't seemed to be working. The Whispering Death questioned Rory, *Help digging? What sssort of digging? And humanssss? Not the dangerousss kind?*
Lok, watching the body language of the Whispering Death, whispered, "Everything going ok? What's he saying?" Rory continued to talk to the Whispering Death however, *Not at all! Our humans are the best and help with all our itches, and even polish our teeth!* Rory preened, trying to tempt the poor thing, *And the digging is just, some sort of hole straight down; They like ones that fill with water.*
Rory then whispered over their shoulder, *I've just about got him hooked, poor guy's really on the ropes out here.* Lok just gave a thumbs up in response.
The Whispering Death glanced up and hissed again, *It issss day time, I cannot travel far, especially across islandsss; I am tempted but will have to wait until night to travel.* Rory crooned in sympathy, *Oh, right; Diggers have soft eyes... But you'll find Berk to the east, where the sun rises; It is a huge island, with many mountains and nice dark forests.* After a pause, Rory asked, *Oh- you haven't seen any big-wings have you? The sharp brown ones?*
* It's not like wild dragons would know the human names for themselves, after all, * Rory thought and Lok whispered, "Sounds like you've sold him, I'd high-five you if we weren't flying."
The Whispering Death was confused but he spoke, *Big-wingssss? Sharp brown onesss? Like the ones who cut trees, known as Treecuttersss?* Rory nodded and told them, *Yes, those are the ones! We seek their help too, too- well... Cut trees; If we can find one.*
The Whispering Death seemed to think before answering, *Hmmm... there may be one deeper in the forest if I remember right, they may have built a nest out of fallen treessss; Although there are a lot of dragonsss here, they may have moved to a quieter island...* Rory nodded and told them, *Well, it's worth a try... Thank you Digger, I promise you'll like Berk.*
Rory quickly continued flying and Lok asked, "So, sounds like we at least got one dragon; What did he say about the Jacks?" Rory huffed and answered, *That there might be one around more trees, or another island entirely; Better to start where we already are, might be some around the west side. but from that map, I think the next big island is near to the Rookery . probably too far, since it's so late already...*
Lok nodded, "Yeah... It's probably not wise to fly there today, and your wings must be killing you; This is by far the furthest you've flown." Rory hummed and answered as they swooped down closer to the forest, *Honestly? I'm not doing too bad; And, worst comes to worst we can tough the lumberjacking out ourselves, every day we waste chasing one dragon is a day we could've cut out the middleman and got to sawing.*
"Yeah, we don't wanna waste too much time on a futile errand; But, a Timberkack would be very useful, it could cut down a week's work into a day... Probably, I haven't done the math..." Lok remarked and Rory shuddered, *And save us a lot of splinters.*
*So, big and brown and likes trees...* Rory said as they rounded a sea stack half-buried by a landside to finally come across the forest. Plenty of trees, scraggly and thin, barely more than bushes in Rory's opinion but it was something. Due to how close they were to each other, the forest was too dark to see into...
"That is the most pathetic forest I've ever seen... But I guess you can't ask for much more in a wasteland like this," Lok spoke up, and not a second later, a large female Timberjack burst out of the trees, slicing a few as they flew up to the Stormcutter and stopped in front of them, growling, *Trespassers! Don't you dare enter my nest!*
Lok whispered, "Well, on one hand, we found one, on the other, it's threatening our lives." Lok then waved non-threateningly as Rory backwinged hard to stop, yelping and then settling into a hover. *Peace, sister!* Rory shouted, *We were looking for one, like you! Our island has too many trees, thicker than Gronckles! They get in our way and we don't have the strength to cut them down!*
* Flattery, flattery might work ,* Rory thought as the Timberjack stared, the dragon defensive as they spoke, *And what do I get out of it? I have hatchlings and cannot spend too long away from them, so whatever time I do spend must be worth it for me and them.*
Rory quickly spoke, *There is more space than you can imagine sister, green space! And we fill great hordes of food for all to eat their fill! The humans' hatchlings will adore yours too! They can heal wings, soothe bad teeth, scratch all the worst itches with their clever little claws...*
The Timberjack growled and demanded, *Humans?! Grrrr... Why should I trust the safety of my children around Humans of all creatures?* Rory paused and then spoke firm and loudly, *They raised me when my own mother left my egg on a beach; These humans are good, they see us for what we are! If a Night Fury can trust them, anything is possible.*
The Timerjack was conflicted, remembering the Night Fury from the raids and knowing they didn't trust easily. After a moment, the Timberjack's stare hardened into seriousness as they asked, *If you swear on your life my children won't be harmed, then we'll move onto this island of yours.*
Rory swore, *On my life, thrice over! You don't even have to see the humans any more than you want to; They have their own plants they tend to, and animals, and so long as those are untouched they'll leave you be.*
The Timberjack seemed to consider everything before nodding, *Let me grab my hatchlings, then you can lead us there.* The female Timberjack turned around and flew back into the forest, heading to her nest to grab her hatchlings. Rory remained where he was, gleefully whispering and nearly squealing, *Baby 'Jacks; Oh they're gonna be so cute!*
Rory however realized they should get moving again soon, their shoulders beginning to hurt. Lok, however, spoke, "So I'll take that as a win," A pause and then, "Wait! Babies? We're gonna get to see baby Timberkacks! This is amazing." Lok looked absolutely giddy about that.
*I know! Okay, here she comes; Probably won't be too fast, so we'll take this nice and slow...* Rory said as they spotted the Timberjack flying back towards them, the Whispering Death would come later that night but for now, they could lead the Timberjack... *Oh, look at them! They'll be proper Tree's Banes in no time at all!* And the Timberjack's babies to Berk.
The Timberjack seemed happy to talk about her kids, speaking, *They only hatched this season, but they're getting there!* After a pause, the Timberjack nodded, *Lead us to this island of yours.*
*And that way we soar! It's a fair distance, but no matter for wings like ours,* Rory preened as they pointed their head towards Berk, before glancing at the babies, *I'm sure you could make a nest the size of a mountain with the trees we have! Wouldnt that be fun, little ones? All the climbing, practicing your wings...*
Lok stared at the hatchlings, eyes wide, "Gods, they are so cute." On the back of the big Timberjack, the four baby Timberjack's crooned, purred, and yelped, making a bunch of high-pitched noises as they stared with big wide-eyes at the Stormcutter and human in curiosity, lacking any fear. Lok nodded, "Ok, seeing baby dragons has just made this whole transdimensional kidnapping thing worth it."
*I know,* Rory giggled, actually giggled, before pausing, *...wait, I'm a dragon; Do- am I gonna just randomly lay eggs like a chicken?! Sure I'll take that over the alternative, but what are we supposed to do with them?!*
Lok spoke, "Umm, I don't think that's very likely... Wait, what sex are you anyway?" After a pause, Rory continued, "Well, if you do start laying eggs... Yeah, I have no idea what we'll do with them; Paperweight?"
*Since it's relevant, I had ovaries; Didn't want them as a human either,* Rory huffed, *Better than Satan's waterfall by a mile though; And this is where all sorts of egg-laying critters are so different I don't know anything that'll help, I guess we could ask a Nadder or something...*
Lok began to speak slowly, "I mean, have you... Well, checked your genitalia since you got the whole body swapped? Holy shit there's no non-awkward way to say this... I mean, you literally got thrown into a whole new body! Not even close to the same species as you were; Who's to say how else it changed?"
*Because, are dragons like reptiles that make all their eggs at once and then lay them? Or birds, that make their eggs one at a time assembly-line style; It could go either way?* Rory questioned and then paused upon hearing Lok's question, *I mean, I think I would notice new equipment? Maybe? I'll spare you the details, but I feel... 'normal'.*
"Well, I guess feeling normal answers... The question; I'd assume dragons operate closer to the reptile side of things," Lok remarked and Rory cursed, *Fuck it; If an egg happens, I'm giving it to Fishlegs or something.* Rory groaned, *Anyway, the sun's getting low; Must be pretty close to the solstice, hardly feels like it's been up at all...*
The Timberjack had been paying attention to her babies and making sure they stayed on her back, but turned to face them and asked, *You two ready to go?*
*It's almost time for the auroras,* Rory mentioned as they began to fly towards Berk, *That's gonna be a sight for the ages; Always wanted to go somewhere you could see the northern lights...* The Timberjack, who had been hovering, shrugged and flew after them whilst remarking, *Guess you two are ready.*
"Shit! You're right; That's gonna be beautiful," Lok said and Rory realized something, *...oh, wonder if that'll bring the Flightmare around; Best be prepared for that too, we might just be able to talk sense to the overzealous jerk... Oh, and nighttime would be perfect to look for Fireworms! Just to say hi.*
"Well, you to say hi... Didn't Quadro say it was possible for a human to learn Dragonese? I really gotta get on that, this language barrier sucks," Lok complained and Rory hummed, *Huh... Well, we'd need someone else entirely to see if it's possible, you understand me by default; No, what if... we get some of the Berk regulars and test that out? Like, show them something and see what they call it, if it sounds like the same grunt or grumble then it might just be learnable... Like, a Nadder and a Gronckle and a Nightmare I mean, none of the actual characters; Can't have them looking at us strange.*
Lok questioned, "I mean, we just brought on two new dragons to help our endeavors; Maybe we can see if they can help out? Otherwise, we'll probably be able to find another friendly dragon on Berk to lend a hand."
*That can wait a bit, for now, we have the Bar to worry about; And of course, I realized we don't have hops so this ale is gonna be bland as all hell; And, it'll probably go bad in a heartbeat, so we'd be better off making small batches... once we're even to that point; We could use all the rubble the Whisper churns up for the chimney... so much to do...* Rory mused as they flew towards Berk, going quiet as they planned to lead the Timberjack to the quieter side of the island, after showing her where all the food was.
After a long while, Lok hummed, "Hm, yeah, we're missing quite a few rather important plants around here; Maybe we can build a greenhouse? Though that still doesn't solve the problem of getting the plants in the first place, it would be a very long trip for you or Shadow."
*Luckily, I know a not-zero amount of things about glassmaking,* Rory chuckled, *I think... we're nearly there.*
The Timberjack checked on her hatchlings and remarked, *Good thing, the little ones are growing restless staying so still.* They refocused on flying as Lok breathed in and stretched out his arms, "You know, I don't think flying will ever get old."
*True, but I can't do it all day yet... And there it is!* Rory called out as Berk's peaks finally appeared on the horizon, *We'll show you where the food is, then it's just a few wingbeats more to all the forest you want; I can't thank you enough sister!*
The Timberjack glanced over and remarked, *I mean, you are leading us to a better place to live; Helping with cutting some trees is the least I can do.*
Rory nodded and glanced over at the Timberjack before telling them, *This island has enough for all, it's your trust that's worth more than words can say! Ah, carefully now, the winds are tricky on the cliffs-* They began to fly down and Rory used a wing to point at the village, *This is the humans' nest of nests, all those stone hollows get filled with fish. That's my job!* Rory didn't know the details about that job yet.
*But that nest that smells like smoke and fire is where they make clever things, like great big trees just for scratching! The nest in the mountain is where they eat, and it's big enough for a hundred dragons inside; The animals we cant touch are all around here, and the human's plants are on the big island; You can tell, they grow them in long straight lines... But, there's the forest, all the trees you could ever want!* Rory informed the Timberjack.
The Timberjack glanced around, taking in the sights and nodding to herself, *It looks nice, just being able to grab fish will be nice and make it easier to feed my hatchlings...* Slowly, the Timberjack turned to look at the forest and practically purred, *The forest is so big... it's beautiful.*
Rory continued as they flew towards the forest, *Hmm... I wouldn't go too close to the big mountain, it's almost time for winter storms; I haven't seen any, but there could be snow slides, but over there is where my humans want to build a nest, and we will need much wood for it.* Rory turned to the hatchlings and told them, *Maybe you can help cut off the little branches, hmm?*
The little hatchlings chirped and the big Timberjack looked at the spot where the Bar would be, memorizing it, *Oh, ok; Tomorrow once I have finished making a new nest I will come by to help with cutting down trees.* The hatchlings were beginning to grow excitable and the Timberjack nodded to Rory, *I will go make the new nest now, so the hatchlings can be let loose, thanks again for leading us here.*
The Timberjack flew off into the woods and after a moment, Rory and Lok began to head towards the Bar's future location...
Whilst all of this had been going on, Shadow shifted and grumbled in his sleep, Rune glanced over at Shadow and tried to determine if the dragon was still asleep or waking up. Shadow, still asleep, rolled over onto his back and placed a paw on his chest, seemingly trying to claw at something but thankfully not clawing himself.
Rune watched in intrigue over the Ender Dragon's strange behavior, listening carefully to see if he can hear what Shadow was dreaming about should the dragon speak. Shadow began to shift a bit as if struggling, seemingly struggling against some invisible force, his tail flew around and at one point, 'gently' hit Ash and knocked the little hybrid over.
*Get it... get it off me... no... get off me...* Shadow whimpered in fear, still asleep. Ash meanwhile opened bleary eyes and looked around, muttering, *Ughhh, what the fuck.* Rune quietly gets up and walks over to Shadow, trying to think of some way to help the Ender Dragon with the nightmare he was having...
Shadow suddenly rolled over and shot up onto his paws, gasping and panting for breath, if he was human it'd be the equivalent of waking up in a cold sweat. Shadow's gaze snapped down to himself and he paused just before he could reach to claw at his chest, the Ender Dragon whispering, *Dark purple almost black scales... wait...*
Ash, meanwhile, rolled over onto his own stomach and blinked at the Ender Dragon, asking in concern, *Shadow? You good?*
Shadow swallowed heavily, saliva thick in his mouth, *Yeah, just had a nightmare; Probably the first one I've had in years, normally sleep for me is just... unconsciousness, no dreams or nightmares... Guess getting turned into a dragon fixed that.*
Eventually, Rune spoke up slowly and quietly as they didn't want to sound forceful, asking Shadow, "What was it about, if it isn't too big of a bother for you that is?*
Shadow shook his head, *No it's fine, it was just horrifying for me... um, have you seen Spider-Man 3? It'll make explaining this a bit easier, cause I can use a metaphor.* Rune nodded, "I've seen that movie yes, so how's it related to your dream?"
Shadow took a deep breath then sighed, sitting down like any other four-legged dragon would, *Ok, the dream started around the time of the Hidden World; We were there, trying to stop it... um, we decided to try and scare off the Light Fury before Toothless could meet her. It uh, I can't remember the specifics but it escalated and she jumped me, tackling me to the floor; Or... was she jumping for someone else and I just got in the way... I can't remember...*
Shadow shook his head, *Anyways! She then turned into this sludge creature and, like the symbiote suit from Spider-Man 3 attached to me... yeah, it was horrifying to suddenly see yourself turn into this horribly designed version of an Ender Dragon with white scales instead of black,* Shadow shivered, *So yeah, that's what my nightmare was.*
"So wait, you turned into the Light Fury in this dream?" Rune asked and Shadow answered quickly, *More like a Light Fury-ized version of an Ender Dragon, but yes; And I'd call it more a nightmare cause holy fuck that was horrifying.*
Rune hummed and remarked, "Hmm, that's one strange dream, but I guess I can understand why it would be a nightmare for you, as you're one of the most passionate ones out of all of who dislikes the third movie and the Light Fury."
Shadow nodded at the understanding of why it's a nightmare, *Yeah, the dream ended when I was trying to rip it off of me and couldn't, you all helped in trying to get it off I think.* Shadow shivered one last time and asked, *Anyways, what do we do now?*
Suddenly, they could all hear the crunching of foliage under footsteps that grew closer, the footsteps accompanied by the clicking of a walking stick alongside some rather unpleasant grumbling. Shadow turned and narrowed his eyes, *Did you hear that?* Hadn't been focusing on his hearing, but he did hear... something...
*Ah shit, someone's coming,* Ash said and Rune quickly spoke to the other two, "Alright, just act normal and Ash, behave and you might get a reward." Rune and all of them looked to the trees, where the sound was coming from... And coming out of the woods was an old man, hunched over and carrying a walking stick, one very familiar old man...
*Ugh, it's Mildew...* Shadow grumbled as he fought the urge to scream and Ash groaned, the hybrid remarking, *Oh come on...* Shadow suddenly had an idea and smirked, telling Ash, *At least he can't understand us, so we can call him all sorts of things whilst he has no idea.*
Mildew looked over Shadow and Ash in disgust, speaking bitterly, "So the rumors were true, Stoick let even more filthy, good for nothing dragons onto the island." Rune and the two dragons just stared. " Oh no it's Mildew, " Rune groaned in his head as he forced a friendly smile, asking in a friendly tone of voice, "Hello, what are you doing over on this side of the island?"
Shadow glared at Mildew and intentionally mocked him and his voice, *And I see Stoick still lets the filthy good for nothing old fart with a sheep live here and terrorize poor children with his very existence.* Meanwhile, Mildew's gaze shifted to Rune and the old man's eyes narrowed as he spoke, "And you must be the one who brought them here..."
*Ugh, he's so elderly and rude,* Ash said the obvious whilst Rune spoke slowly, "Um yes, though I don't see what the problem is with bringing them here, as this place seems friendly with dragons." Rune was trying his hardest to stay calm, as he didn't want to start a confrontation with the old man on only their second day on the island.
"Absolute barbarian, coming in here to scuff up this island even more!" Mildew said in disgust and Ash snarled, flaring his wings as he demanded, *Who is he calling a barbarian?* Mildew, however, just continued, "No wonder you had to flee wherever it is you came from, you probably can't even live in a civilized society; What was it? The rest of your village couldn't stand having your useless bum taking up space?"
Shadow glanced at a frozen still Rune, "Can I eat Mildew? He's a total asshole." Shadow was only about half-joking about eating Mildew, the Ender Dragon thought to himself, * Screw it that I'm still full, Mildew fucking needs to get his comeuppance. *
Ash remarked, *I mean, if Shadow eats him, they'll never find the body.* Shadow glanced to Ash and planned, *I could also use my acid, it'd remove all the flesh quite quickly leaving behind only an unidentifiable skeleton.*
Mildew's words however struck a nerve in Rune, who snapped and lost his cool as he began to yell at the old man, "Alright, fuck you old man, you can't just come here and talk to us like that, who the do you think you are, the messiah?! You know nothing about us and frankly, I hope that you never do; I don't know what your problem is but you need to leave now."
Mildew seemed to almost growl, "And who do you think you are? Being so disrespectful to your elders? Especially when you're merely a guest on this island." Mildew seemed to smirk, but the smirk quickly faded when Shadow stomped up to him with an angry snarl on the Ender Dragon's snout.
*You can't hear me, you little bitch, but listen here. I will fucking eat you in five seconds if you don't shut the fuck up and walk away,* Shadow threatened seriously, the level of asshole Mildew was being reminded him too much of people he used to know...
Rune responded to Mildew after Shadow went silent, "I respect those that deserve it and you clearly don't deserve me or my dragon's respect; You might be an elder but you are definitely not a wise one if you think that being rude to your guest is acceptable behavior." Ash also growled lowly, telling Mildew, *Being an elder means nothing if you're a xenophobic asshole.*
Mildew, unnerved at Shadow's snarl, hid it and spoke, "Is your beast threatening me? Ha! Just proving me right? Disrespectful, good for nothing, savages." Shadow growled again, *Ok, I'm counting now... FIVE!* From the look in the Ender Dragon's eyes, he was one hundred percent serious.
*Let's get his ass!* Ash agreed and Shadow glanced at him, *On zero, you paralyze his ass and I eat him, we pretend we never meet him; Capiche?* Ash nodded and just replied back before refocusing on Mildew, *Yup.*
Mildew turned to walk away, deciding to go off and probably bother someone else, but not without telling them in a threatening tone, "I have no idea what you said to the chief to make him think you're any respectable sort, but the village will see what you are in time."
Shadow glared at Mildew's retreating backside and if glares could hurt, Mildew would be dead, *Looks like he's lucky, I was about to say four.* Shadow suddenly began to yell, *Yeah, leave you old bastard! Don't come back if you know what's good for you!* Rune also growled, the human clenching his fist and teeth whilst fighting the urge to go and punch Mildew.
Shadow squinted and watched before nodding, *Ok, the asshole of a rat named Mildew is gone; That asshole got lucky,* Shadow put two of his claws only just barely apart, *I was this close to eating him.* Shadow then devolved into a grumble as he dropped his paws back down, *... or maybe I would've blasted him with acid cause Mildew would probably give me an upset stomach... Hell, he'd probably poison me, that old bastard.*
Rune told Shadow, "No, that wouldn't have helped, it would have only supported his claims and made him a martyr." A pause and then Rune went over and punch a tree to let out his pent up frustration, his fist colliding with it and letting out a large thud, "I knew that Mildew was an obnoxious self-centered cunt but I never thought that he would make fun of us being forced away from our home like that! The nerve of that asshole."
Shadow glanced at Rune in concern, *Is your hand ok? You did just hit a tree.* Rune just shook his hand to shake off the pain, "Yeah, it just stings."
Shadow nods and responds to the earlier statement, *I know it wouldn't have helped the situation, and it definitely would've supported his claims in Berk's eyes... but I would feel better later knowing that bastard got his comeuppance.*
"He gets it anyway having to work with the Outcast after they become friendly with dragons," Rune spoke up and Shadow smirked, *Oh when that happens, can we go rub it in his face?* Rune also seemed to smirk, "Oh, definitely."
Rune eventually spoke up, "I'm just waiting to see what claims he will have for us to try and get rid of us." Shadow hummed, *Oh Mildew will probably pull out all the stops; Wanna bet when it comes to him pinning a bunch of things on the Dragons, he'll pin some things on us?* Rune answered with a firm answer, "Then I'll shut him down with brutal fact."
"I can be a mean son of a bitch when I want to and I can play dirty just like him," Rune growled and then Shadow realized something, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Ash, *Ash, you've been quiet.* Too quiet in the Ender Dragon's opinion.
*Just… a bit hard to deal with all this, I'm fine,* Ash replied and Rune turned to Ash, remarking, "Thanks for not attacking him though, guess you earned that reward." Rune went over to the satchel Hiccup had given them, opening it and pulling out a large chunk of meat and holding it out to Ash, who took it with a remark of, *Nice, yummy food.*
Rune turned to Shadow and spoke up in a little distress, "I'm worried that he's going to say something that will set me off and try to use that against us." Shadow thought and then asked, *On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do I need to keep an eye on you and possibly sit on you should Mildew provoke you?*
"Not that much if it's about stupid nonsense, but if he talks bad about anything related to my family or friends in a severe way, that will set me off right away and that will be a bad thing for all of us," Mildew told him and Shadow asked for clarification, *Ok so if family or friends get brought up by the bastard, I should restrain you somehow?* Rune nodded and told him, "Yes as I will lay him out with harsh words that would make a rapper stare at me with wide eyes."
Shadow nodded, *Ok, I'll keep that in mind.* Silence fell over the group before Shadow coughed dryly, sticking his tongue out, *Gah, my mouth is dry, but I guess that makes sense... last time I had something to drink was...* He paused, *I can't remember, probably before we ended up here.*
"You could go to the cove or the village to get some water if you want," Rune suggested and Shadow shifted in place, speaking somewhat embarrassed, *I'll probably go the Cove and get some water from there, then go find some spot in the forest away from here, to use the bathroom cause I'm pretty sure I'll need to use it soon...*
Rune realized this and looked away as he tried not to think about it, "Oh right, you can't use the restroom like a human now." Shadow nodded and got out of his sitting position, *Yeah, so this is going to be interesting for me to figure out.*
Shadow began to walk into the woods, telling them, *Well, I'll be back in a little bit.* And with that, the Ender Dragon broke into a sprint away from the two, leaving them alone.
After a good while, Rory came flying into the clearing, calling out, *We... Are... Back,* Rory was definitely tired now, *Got a Timberjack momma and babies, and a Whispering Death on the way; We can finally get somewhere.*
"Hey that's nice, great work guys," Rune told them and Lok spoke up with a joking warning, "Yep! Oh, and there's Jack hatchlings too; Warning, I think getting too close may be hazardous; You may overdose on cute."
*So, we'll need a floor plan, all the rock and lumber... and quick,* Rory stated as Lok climbed off of them, and as soon as they were passenger less, Rory let themselves flop to the ground. *But if any of the villagers ask, Lok did all the work and played nice, but promised they'd be left alone.*
Lok spoke up, "Hiccup is gonna have a field day asking how 'I' trained two extremely elusive and/or dangerous dragons..." After a moment they continued, "As for the floor plan..." Lok walked around and found two good-sized sticks, throwing one to Rune who caught it, "Let's get to work." Rory didn't need one to draw, thanks to their claws.
Lok went over to the satchel, which he had stored the blueprints he sketched earlier in, grabbing them and then beginning to use the stick to draw in the dirt which had been revealed thanks to Rory. Lok spoke as he worked, "The foundation needs to be at least large enough for the well pump and water system..."
Shadow came walking back to the ground from the trees, spotting Rory and Lok, greeting them happily, *Oh hey, see you two got back.* Rory turned to him and preened, *And back victoriously; Got a Jack and a Whisper, and we're working on a floorplan now; Measure twice, cut once, and always have a plan first.*
*Nerd,* Ash said to Rory who replied with a scowl and a question, *Do you want a house that stays up or a house that falls down?* Lok, over his shoulder, yelled at Ash, "You'll be thanking us when there's a snowstorm and we have a nice heated building to whole up in."
*But I like the snow!* Ash told them and Rune replied with, "Yeah, but not when we have to sleep in it." Lok also spoke up, the currently drawing human telling Ash, "Then you can sleep outside; But the rest of us like, and some need, good insulation to be comfortable and/or live." Ash just turned away, *Hmph.*
Shadow nodded to Rory, *Nice, well, on our end, I chased Ash around and threatened to eat him, found out my own acid doesn't affect me, went to the beach and ate a lot of fish, slept, woke up, and had to deal with Mildew of all people, then I went off and figured out how to use the bathroom.* Shadow paused and continued sheepishly, *Compared to you two's successes, probably not that, uh, important.*
*Isn't- isn't shitting and pissing instinctual?* Ash asked Shadow, who shifted and glanced at the little dragon as they replied, *Don't ask, it's different as a dragon.* It was different, but that wasn't the only reason they wanted to avoid the question, but Ash still asked, *…how?*
Shadow was a little uncomfortable, he didn't want to go into it so he admitted something else, *Um... ok it wasn't very difficult and that wasn't what took me so long... I may have gotten distracted knocking down some trees with my acid.* Ash seemed satisfied with this answer.
Rory eventually spoke up, *Honestly, I've had my own weirdness; I could very well lay a random-ass egg one day, maybe, If dragons work like chickens; I don't know if it's better or worse at this point so I'm just going to pretend it won't happen.* Rory covered their head with their wings.
*Um what,* Shadow asked Rory and Ash spoke up, *Hah, if you're a chicken, get ready for daily eggs and broody periods, also you can eat your own eggs! Tasty.* Lok glanced at Ash in disgust, "Ok, that's just disgusting." Ash just replied back with, *No it's not, it's natural!*
*I'm ignoring it,* Rory said firmly, *Anyway, house; So everyone elses' is kinda that, gothic arch-y half-a-boat shape right? What if we made ours like two of those, kinda meeting at right angles?*
Shadow suddenly realized something and asked Rory in slight concern, *Wait, Rory, have you eaten yet since becoming a dragon?* After a moment, Rory answered, *...I haven't, weird, I'm not... starving? Like I could eat but I'm not dying; I guess I could go by Berk for something to eat, maybe tomorrow I can see what I can do about fishing; I'll need some kinda net.*
After a moment of silence, Lok spoke to Rory about the construction idea, "Hm, that could work; But do we wanna build in a period typical conventional style or something more modern?" Rune thought for a moment and then added on their own thoughts, "I feel like a period typical conventional style will be the better choice as it will let residence feel more comfortable with it than feeling out of place."
Rory nodded, *Well, the buildings here are still standing because that shape works, and we'd fit in better just copying the Berk style; Plus if we got some help they'd already know what to do.* Lok nodded and replied, "Yeah, good points; Though I don't know how much help the locals will be when building, I doubt any of them understand how plumbing works or how not to mess up the pipes."
Shadow, realizing he couldn't really contribute to the conversation, moved over to a clear spot away from the floor-planning area. Slowly, he began to practice writing with his claws, cautiously looking at the others to make sure they didn't see it.
"Oh wait, we gotta get to the forge and start making pipes..." Lok realized and Shadow asked without looking, *Pipes?* Lok nodded and explained, "For the plumbing, and the heating, and the well, pumps, gas, and basically everything necessary to give this place modern-ish amenities."
*Oh yeah,* Shadow realized but continued writing whilst Lok spoke, "Hm, it's not optimal but we'll probably need to make the pipes out of iron; Since I doubt Berk has a plentiful enough copper supply." Shadow tilted his head slightly as he wrote, asking them, *What about Gronckle Iron?*
Rory nodded, *Gronkles are walking blast furnaces, all we have to do is find the iron ore and let them do the rest!* Lok also nodded and remarked, "Yeah, your right; But forging those pipes is gonna be a pain, and we need an exact plan..." Rory then realized something, *...wait, what are we supposed to use for solder?*
Shadow, without looking, suggests another idea, *Would precision Deadly Nadder Fire work? Or am I confused again...* Lok hummed and replied, "Nadder fire could fuse the pipes together, It's hot enough to melt iron, so it's plenty hot; And if the forge has any lower melting point 'scrap' metal around we can use that as solder to fill any gap, I bet they have at least a little of other metals around."
*Hmmm, true, true,* Shadow said without even thinking, he had just been suggesting ideas without being sure of their use. The Ender Dragon looked at his claw-writing and gave up on trying as it looked terrible, using his tail to erase it before curling up and laying down to just watch the others plan out the floor of the Bar.
"The design of the system needs to be really efficient; I don't wanna have to make too many pipes," Lok said and Shadow, now paying attention, asked, *It'll probably be easier to do that if you know where all the rooms are, how big they'll be, right?* Lok nodded, "Yeah, we need to finalize the design first."
Rune spoke up, "Well I don't know how much help I will be, as haven't done anything on building or constructing outside of basic robotics and basic architecture design from like early high school." Shadow nodded and spoke up as well, *Same, my skills are kind of limited to singing, carrying shit, programming, and writing.*
"Me and Rory can figure out this design," Lok told them and Rune asked, "You sure that you guys can do this, I don't want to just leave you guys to do all the work." Lok nodded and eventually told him, "Though Rune, I'll probably need some assistance making those pipes."
"Ah okay," Rune said and Lok then paused, looking up and remarking, "Yeah, we'll be fine, what's the worst that can happen?"
Shadow's head practically snapped upright from his paws, *Never say that!* Rune also pointed out, "And that's the keyword for something bad to happen." Rory ALSO chimed in with their own words, *You said the words, why did you say the words? Why not just chant the name of the Scottish Play while we're at it?*
*When you say 'what's the worst that can happen' something bad almost always follows it up!* Shadow pointed out and Lok shrugged, continuing to draw and speaking, "Literally my family motto right there; It always works out well for us... For everyone else around us, it's variable."
Rune spoke up disbelieving, "Yeah I'll see it when I believe it, anyways is there anything else that we need right now?" Lok shook his head and told them, "Not that I can think of; At least not at this very second." Rune nodded and put down his stick and told the others, "Alright I might head off to the village if we don't plan on starting construction now if that's alright with you guys."
Lok just gave a thumbs-up without looking and Shadow spoke to Rune, *I might join you, I don't know.* Rune glanced at him and asked curiously, "Okay Shadow, you said that you might want to come, do you want to come with me now or do you plan on maybe going later?" Shadow tilted his head and asked, *What do you plan on doing in the village, if you have any plan?*
"I was planning on exploring the village maybe check the arena; I don't know, I've just been sitting here all day and I need to stretch my legs," Rune explained and Shadow got up with a stretch, *Well it's either I join you or sleep, and eh, might as well get some exercise.*
"Alright then, let's get going as it is a decent walk back to the village," Rune explained and Shadow glanced with a shrug, *Could always fly.* Rune just told him, "You can do that, I feel like walking for now."
Lok looked at Rune like he was insane, asking, "Are you tired of flight already?" Rune also looked at Lok like he was insane, responding with, "Hell no, I love being up in the sky; I just don't want to make it a thing where I use Shadow or Rory for simple transportation from here to the village all the time; Plus I just want to enjoy the scenery in the woods for now."
Lok nodded and Shadow shrugged, *Ok, well, suit yourself.* With that, Shadow took off into the air and flew towards the village at a more leisurely pace, whilst Rune started to walk towards the village all the while observing Berk's scenery.
New original character (who is a dragon) joining us next chapter, played by a new RP-member! They will be playing a native to the HTTYD universe too, but I'll leave it up to you to guess what kind of dragon they are. Next session already done but the chapter will have to wait, I really need to stop procrastinating and do IRL stuff.
Mildew is played by Loki/Lok, whilst I (JustANormalHTTYDFan) did the Timberjack and Whispering Death. Not much to say other than some progress has been made towards one of the biggest parts of this RP, the Salty Dragon Bar and Grill (named after the amazing server we all came from). Let me know your thoughts!
Anyways, this is JustANormalHTTYDFan, over and out.
