Four days later:
Temple Island; Ahch-To
Jarik POV...
Pale green and white flames were the only source of light in the shadowy world, sometimes mixing in with an occasional purple flame as well. Beyond that was complete darkness, and then a dim glow of purple from the boulder, underneath Vader's castle.
"Death follows him like a shadow..." a feminine voice whispers.
Zooming past the boulder and into the unknown, three pale, starlight eyes open, followed by the gleam of a leering smile. Then the figure lunges forwards...
I open my eyes, looking up at the stone ceiling of the hut above me. A small amount of light streams through the small window, signaling the rising suns at dawn. I glance over beside me to see Ahsoka shift slightly in her sleep, and then slowly sit up. Lowering my feet over the side of the bed, I flinch slightly as my feet touch the cold ground, and stand up, quickly moving over to my night shoes and slipping them on. I then grab my Jedi cloak from the wall and wrap it around myself, opening the door to step outside, closing it quickly again.
The frigid air of Ahch-To's winter season hits me, a dramatic change from approximately three weeks ago after the defeat of the Red Death. Winter on this planet always came quickly and without warning, sometimes leaving even the Vikings unprepared. My cloak bollowed against the soft breeze passing by, and I looked out towards the rising suns, colored a vibrant orange, lighting up the icy and snowy ground.
Walking down the steps to the small courtyard in the middle of the ring of huts, I sat down in the middle of the stone sitting area on the edge of the cliff. A small flock of Terrible Terrors flew by, headed for the upper areas of the island. None of the Porgs were anywhere to be found, having already been in hibernation from the winter. I let off a quiet sigh, enjoying the peaceful environment, but trouble by what I kept seeing.
Ever since the Action at Mustafar, which is what everyone has begun to call it, I've been getting more intense visions of this dark being. I still don't know what to make of it, but the Force is definitely warning me about something coming, yet when I am unsure. All I know is every time I have one of these visions, it is there, watching me, maybe even in reality as well. And that's a concept to terrifying to imagine.
Isle of Berk; Ahch-To
Hiccup POV...
I laid down in bed, looking up at the ceiling longingly, finding myself actually missing the sound of Toothless banging on the roof every morning. Ever since the dragons left without any warning the village has been depressed. A month ago if somebody told us that we would ever miss dragons any one of us would have laughed in their faces and sent them out to see. Now, it's the complete opposite, and we can't imagine a life without dragons by our side.
Especially me.
When it comes to dragons and how to train them, and their behaviors, I've always known the answer. There wasn't a problem any of the villagers had that I couldn't at least have an idea to solve. But this is a first, and I had no idea what to do. If Jarik or Ahsoka were here they might have an answer, using the Force or whatever, but they aren't. All three of them had to leave almost two weeks ago to continue fighting against the Empire. Besides missing Toothless, I also missed Mara. The two of them were my first friends I ever had.
I sigh sadly and roll over onto my side on the wooden bed in an attempt to go back to sleep. Just then a low pounding sound against the roof gets me attention, and I widen my eyes slightly, listening again. Sure enough, a loud banging sound against the roof causes it to shake slightly and I spring up from my bed, an exhilarated grin on my face.
"Toothless!" I exclaimed, throwing off the blanket. I quickly rushed down the stairs and ran out the door, running across the snow to the back of the house where Toothless was. "I knew you'd come out- WOAH, AGH!"
I was cut off as my foot slipped on the ice, slamming my back into the ground painfully. I laid there for a moment, the breath knocked out of me and glanced up at the roof. Instead of Toothless jumping on the roof however, it was just my dad, banging away at a few loose shingles with a hammer. Hearing the noise I made, he turns over to look at me, a wide grin on his face.
"Morning son!" he exclaims happily.
Despite my dad being happy to see me, I couldn't help but feel disappointment at the realization that it wasn't Toothless. "Oh, hey, Dad..." I say in exasperation, getting back up. I eyed my prosthetic foot in annoyance, kicking the ice with it slightly. I guess I can't complain too much though, since it could've been much worse. I could have turned out like Gobber, and I don't want a peg leg, not in a million years.
"Glad you're up! I was looking for your helmet!" Dad says, coming down from the ladder.
I stop nervously look up at him with wide eyes, remembering what happened to it earlier... If Dad finds out I lost it then my fate is worse than the Kill Ring incident... oh gods. "My- My helmet?" I stuttered nervously.
"Odin needs a place to put your goodies!" he says.
I look down sadly, turning away with a disgruntled expression and start walking to the village. "Yeah, right... I- I'll get on that. Great..."
Stepping off of the ladder, Dad looks at me in confusion and worry, shaking his head. "Hold on!" he says.
I stop walking and turn around as he approaches me with a concerned expression. "Hold on. Alright... Come on. What's on your mind? Out with it," he says.
I let out a sigh, however I'm glad he's trying to notice now how I'm feeling and coming to see what's wrong. He's definitely changed for the better. "Oh, it's been three days, Dad. I just thought Toothless would be back by now."
"I'm sure he is with the other dragons," he says reassuringly.
"Yeah? I wish I can be that sure. And I would also have liked to spend the holiday with Mara as well," I replied.
He sighs, giving me a sympathetic and understanding look. "Ah, listen... I know what it's like to miss someone you love this time of year. But what do we do, when they can't be here for the holiday? We celebrate them! And I imagine that is exactly what Toothless and Mara would want you to do. Right?" he asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"You're right."
"Good!" he says, tapping me on the shoulder with enough force to make me stumble in pain. "Then go get that helmet! We've had enough disappointment around here!" he jokes lightly.
I roll my shoulder, staring at him incredulously in exasperation, before smiling slightly. He truly does care.
Later that day I was headed towards the docks to deliver a pair of oars, the village a flurry of every-day activity. I was about to turn around the corner when I suddenly bumped into Fishlegs, who was moving rather quickly. He looked at me in surprise and held his breath fearfully, glancing around nervously. I look at what he's carrying to see a large basket filled to the brim with fish.
"Oh, Fishlegs, you hungry? There's enough fish there to feed a dragon!
"Hahaha... Oh, a dragon? That's..." he laughs nervously, suddenly rushing away.I stare at him in confusion before following, suspicious of how he's acting. Fishlegs is the easiest out of all of us to scare, but right now there's no reason for him to be nervous... unless he's hiding something.
I follow him to a large barn, watching as he slams the door closed with his basket of fish. Moments later, he peeks out again, glancing around and I hide around a pillar. Fishlegs tiptoes out of sight with a pleased giggle, and once he was a few feet away I quietly stalk up to the barn, setting my oars aside. Glancing at him again suspiciously, I open the doors and look inside to see the most insane thing.
A Gronckle immediately charges at me, and I yell in shock as he crashes without pause, leaving me no choice but to hold onto his face for dear life. Picking my head up, I get a better look at the dragon who was flying away with me.
"MEATLUG?!" I yell incredulously. Meatlug glances up at me in recognition, but otherwise doesn't stop flying. Along the way we swoop by Astrid, who ducks with a startled yelp.
"Hiccup? Where are you going?!" she exclaims.
"I HAVE NO IDEAAA!" I yell back, the village getting further and further away every second.
Jarik POV...
I was sitting down on the stone bench in the middle of the courtyard, datapad in hand. The sensor array at the top of the mountain continued to provide a connection to the rest of the galaxy, allowing me to continue without any problems. The rising suns began to brighten, hiding behind the white and gray cloud cover.
Scrolling through the latest intelligence I had managed to intercept, a particular part got my attention, which I read through intently. Apparently the Emperor had just commissioned the Seventh Fleet beyond known space and into the Unknown Regions, where his many other expeditions sent have gone. What's special about this intel is that the Seventh Fleet is lead by none other than Admiral Thrawn, the Chiss Imperial officer. I didn't know much about the Chiss, as they were a very secret society regarded by most as a legend, but I do know that they are intelligent, honorable, and show respect, even to their enemies.
What Darth Sidious could be looking for I still have no idea, and probably won't have unless I confront the Sith Lord himself. However, near the bottom of the page there is a reference to something they might be looking for. I don't know if it's a who or a what, as the information is so heavily encrypted that it would take months for even me to break, but there is one word that I can see. It refers to a... 'Vong.'
The Force thrusts an image of the three eyed beast on me again, laughing sinisterly.
I pull out of the quick vision with a grimace, looking at the page again. Then someone sits by my side, also wrapped in a whiter Jedi cloak. "Having trouble sleeping?" Ahsoka asks.
"With the Force being a total jerk, yes," I said.
"Well, nothing you can do about what the Force wants," she says with a shrug. "So, best not to think too hard about it."
"That makes me feel so much better," I replied sarcastically, leaning against the hard rocky backrest.
We sit in silence for a moment before Ahsoka speaks again. "Before we left Berk, Stoick said that he invited us to their holiday celebration, which is today. Maybe that could help take your mind off of these visions."
I consider the idea, shrugging. "Already, I'm down for it. What's the name of the holiday?"
She started snickering, and I looked at her oddly. "Snoggletog," she answers between laughs.
I gape at her in bewilderment. Snoggletog?! Who in their right mind would choose such a stupid name for their holiday?! "What kinda kriffing crap is that for a name?" I exclaim.
"They don't even know!" she replies with a giggle. Our laughs slowly die down as we look out over the ocean again, admiring the view. Ahsoka slings an arm around my shoulders. "It's cold out. You should put on something warmer."
"I have my cloak on," I say defensively.
"And underneath the cloak?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
I look away sheepishly. "Just... my nightclothes," I mumble.
"Exactly," she says in satisfaction. "If you don't then I'll just have to make sure you get warmed up a different way," she says slyly.
I throw my hands in the air mockingly in exasperation with a small laugh. "Oh Force Ahsoka, why are you so smooth like that?!" I demand.
She laughs in amusement. "Because it's funny to see your reactions! Besides, I am a grown woman who can do whatever she likes!"
"How amusing," I deadpanned.
In response, she hops herself into my lap, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. "Oh hush, you know you love me. Now carry me inside it's cold out here," she demands. "Then get yourself some warmer clothes!"
"Yes ma'am," I reply with a roll of my eyes. A small smile on my face as I get up, holding Ahsoka in my arms. "How would you feel if I pulled an Obi-Wan and dropped you?"
"Like how he dropped Satine that one time?" she asks. I nod my head. "I'd kick your butt."
The Rookery; Ahch-To
3rd person POV...
The rookery island was teeming with all of Berk's dragons, spending the time there in order to lay their eggs and raise their hatchlings. Dragons walked around, left and right, with the hatchlings squawking and chasing each other, their parents keeping a close watch on them.
Nearby, Stormfly pushed her four dragon eggs into the hot water pool, where they all sunk to the bottom. Once down there, the eggs exploded one by one, releasing the baby Nadders which swam to the surface. Three of them all climbed out of the pool with their little legs, flopping across the ground and chirping curiously, then in excitement as Stormfly approached them happily. there were two turquoise colored Nadders, and one with a light blue-purple. She then did a quick head count, realizing one was missing and squawked in alarm, glancing around.
The final Nadder then burst out of the water, rolling across the ground and then stretching with a yawn. Stormfly chirped in relief and greeted the final hatchling, this one different from the rest. Instead of the normal Nadder colors, this one was actually colored a dark gray, with a light purple underbelly. It's claws and spikes were a pale silver, although the eyes were the usual yellow. It looked up at Stormfly, chirping happily at its mother.
Then it squinted heavily, opening its mouth and letting off a small sneeze, some dust having gotten into its nose. Along with the sneeze came a small burst of purple flame, and it flopped onto the ground from the force of it. Getting up, it moved over to its siblings and began to play around with them, Stormfly watching the hatchlings under her care happily.
Ooohhh, a new dragon! Of course this is obviously during the Gift of the Night Fury special. And what is the Seventh Fleet going to be doing...?
