CHAPTER 3
"Do you really need all of those journals?" Hiccup asked as he watched Tengan try, unsuccessfully, to squash her bag closed around the numerous blank, leather bound volumes.
"Of course I do! There is so much to learn. Before now our tribes were lucky to have contact every twenty years. I can't chance running. out. of. paper!" she punctuated each word with a shove into the desperately overstuffed bag.
Hiccup sat back on her bedroll and shared glances with Toothless who had stuck his large head through a rolled up section of the tent wall to oversee the proceedings. "Ya know I think you'll get along fine with Fishlegs, another rider and a good friend of ours. He's almost as obsessed with learning about dragons as you are." he finished with a chuckle.
Tengan sagged over the mound of books, panting. She cast an exasperated look at Hiccup before straightening. "Isn't there a seminar you want to see? It's the last day of the clansmeet after all…. and that would allow me to pack in peace" she added under her breath.
Hiccup scratched the back of his head. "I would, but between poking at my leg and fielding questions about Toothless' saddle setup, we haven't actually made it to a single lecture."
Tengan, still winded, cringed. "Sorry about that. Like I said, there's already so little known about the tribes of the archipelago and adding dragons to the mix has only made your homeland more alluring." She slouched against her bag, head tilted back at the sloped canvas ceiling. "I can't wait to see it. You said it snows for more than half the year?"
Hiccup nodded, his right hand absentmindedly scratching behind Toothless' ear. "Yup. On Berk we have winter and devastating winter… How many warm clothes did you pack?"
"Err…." Tengan lifted her head. "I may or may not have forgotten to pack clothes."
The two teens shared a hearty laugh as the Night Fury cocked his head at the noise. "Tell you what" Hiccup sputtered between chuckles, "I'll make sure to stock up on extra scrolls of paper and empty journals as soon as the trader ships come through. Johan is actually due pretty soon after we get back."
"Hiccup Haddock you have yourself a deal." Tengan titled her head back to gaze at the ceiling once more as she blindly extended her right hand for a shake. Instead of gripping a lightly calloused palm as expected, Tengan felt a long, fleshy, slimy appendage worm up her hand and in between two fingers, leaving a slimy trail behind. With a shriek she sat up quickly to see Toothless' neck extended as far into the tent as he could reach, his pink forked tongue lolling lazily out of what was unmistakably a gummy smile.
Hiccup roared with laughter as Tengan tried in vain to wipe the saliva off on the floor of the tent.
"You told him to do that!" she cried out, trying desperately to force down giggles of her own. She was rather surprised to hear Toothless grunting rhythmically in his chest and made a mental note to jot down that dragons could laugh and that they clearly had a lousy sense of humor.
Packing and repacking took the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon. Despite Hiccup's assurances that she would not want for paper or writing utensils, Tengan still had a hard time limiting her selection of supplies. She had finally settled on two shoulder packs. One contained a few changes of clothes as well as her bedroll and all the warm weather gear she owned. The second held several tightly rolled scrolls of paper, two empty leather bound journals gifted to her by her father on her last birthday, a few quills from exotic bird feathers, and three small bottles of ink.
"I think we have time to see the final weapons demonstration if you were interested. Your father and my mother are scheduled to test the limits of the sword he gifted her." Tengan spoke over her shoulder as she adjusted the straps on her bags.
"Sure! If we can make it across without being stopped for questioning." Hiccup sighed, leaning against Toothless' side.
"Oh I wouldn't worry about it. As interesting as the two of you are no one misses the final weapons demonstration. Whoever holds the title of chief or cheiftess is responsible for acting as the last line of defense for our library. They are expected to be able to hold their own against any opponent. While I'm sure they won't go all out simply to test a new blade, a sparring match between Stoick the Vast and Makara the Wise is not one to be missed."
As predicted, no one attempted to stop the odd trio as they made their way to the arena. Despite being the offspring of the opponents, if they hadn't been accompanied by a dragon, Tengan doubted the crowd would have parted enough for them to see.
Stoick stood on one end of the dirt ring, his shirt discarded, a sight that forced an embarrassed groan from Hiccup. He held no shield, only a short, sturdy hammer. Makara bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet in the other corner, a wolfish grin on her face, and the new blade gripped loosely in her hand, it's sheath buckled to her belt. Thornado sat squatly at the edge of the arena, his small eyes flicking between the two. Occasionally his tongue darted out as if to taste the tension in the air.
It was the most intense practice session either teen had ever witnessed. Stoick clearly outclassed his opponent when it came to size and brute strength. However, Makara flexibility and agility could not be denied. Their weapons rang together with crashing musical notes with increasing frequency. They sprang forward and backward as if it were more of a dance than battle. Several times Makara had to twist her body in ludicrous angles to avoid a touch from Stoick's hammer. Noises from the crowd rose and fell with the intensity of the blows. The match finally concluded as the two leaders sprang together in sync, the hollow metallic clang of their blows accompanied by a rainbow of sparks from the metal. For several heartbeats they stood eyeing one another, sweat dripping from the pair. Something invisible shifted between the two and they stepped away and bowed deeply to one another.
"A fine blade indeed Stoick" Makara spoke, her breath surprising even.
"Aye, a good fit for a skilled warrior." Stoick grinned, his breath undisturbed as well.
Makara nodded and turned to the crowd, holding the blade aloft. "My friends, have we not enjoyed ourselves these past few days?" An uproar of noise, and a couple actual roars from the dragons answered her. "This clansmeet has been one of the best in recent and written memory. And it is with a heavy heart I call it to an end. However, before we depart for the Feast of Farewell I have a final word of thanks to give." Makara and Stoick nodded to one another before she gestured openly to Hiccup and Tengan. "Stoick the vast and his son Hiccup have graciously opened their home to my daughter Tengan and will allow her to complete her rites of passage on Berk, studying the ways of the Dragon Riders."
Tengan found her face flush with heat and resisted the urge to shrink in on herself as all eyes and cheers turned on them. It was only extremely hesitantly that the two teens stepped forward when beckoned, although Toothless seemed to almost strut forward, his neck arching proudly.
Makara placed her hand on Tengans shoulder while Stoick mirrored the movement with Hiccup. Once the cheers died down the chieftess spoke once more. "I have but one gift to bestow upon her before her journey." She unbuckled the sword belt holding the magnificent dragon tempered blade and oiled sheath before buckling it around Tengans waist. "Stoick did not boast when he spoke of this blade's craftsmanship. May you wield it proudly in my name and use it to protect those you care for and the knowledge you collect." Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to the center of Tengans forehead. "May the stars guide your quest my child, wherever that may bring you." Straightening, Makara retrieved a tube of oiled leather from a small pile of what looked to be the rest of Stoick's clothes resting between Thornado's forepaws. "For Hiccup," she began, holding the tube aloft "As promised, an illustrated copy of his epic tale 'The Dawn of the Riders'." She pressed the tube into the boy's hands before pulling him into an embrace. "Watch over my daughter" she whispered in a slightly pleading tone upon releasing him.
Hiccup and Tengan glanced at one another before holding their respective gifts aloft for all to see. "Did you know about this?" he hissed out of the corner of his mouth.
"About your scroll? Yes. The sword? No. And during the final demonstration? Definitely not." she whispered back.
The feast passed in a blur for Tengan. She found herself fingering the hilt of the blade, her blade she reminded herself, several times in between fielding questions about her upcoming journey and swallowing the occasional mouthful of food the brief lulls in conversation allowed her. She suspected Hiccup and Stoick were just as busy if not more so than her as this was everyone's last opportunity to ask questions or beg favors from the riders before their departure.
It was customary that while most made the effort to land on the shores in the morning of the first day, they were to depart as the sun set on the final day. As day cycles into night, so too does the sun set on another meet, or so the tradition goes. Tengan was thoroughly shocked to see the last rays of sun slipping to the horizon as Stoick placed his hands on the teens' shoulders. "Time to head out. Tengan, your bags are already on Thornado's saddle. Come join us at the beach once you've said goodbye to your mother."
Tengan nodded, a strangely hard lump in her throat as she turned from the two vikings. Makara wasn't too far. She was hugging a pair of purple clad visitors goodbye as they made their way to the shores, chattering on about promises of spices they'd supply for next year's feast.
"Mother? Stoick says it's time to go." She murmured at her feet. For the moment she had no idea why she ever agreed to this venture in the first place.
"So it is Little Scribe." Makara smiled at her daughter and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Make sure to document your thoughts on the day before bed. They will be fresher that way."
"I know Mother" was Tengans feeble reply and she gripped Makara's shirt tightly.
"...I'll miss you, Tengan." she spoke softly, one hand smoothing her daughter's hair.
"I'll miss you too, Mother." Tengan choked back as a couple tears slid free.
"Now now, no crying. You need to be able to see clearly tonight. It's your first flight on dragonback and I expect an accurate report."
Tengan let out a sound that teetered between a laugh and a sob as she pulled away, wiping her tears. For a moment both the older and younger woman stared at each other. Two years never seemed longer than it did in that one eternal moment.
"Go now. They're waiting for you. I can't wait to hear all about your adventures." Makara gestured to the shore.
With a small nod, Tengan spun on her heel and ran to the awaiting dragons. She knew if she hesitated another moment she'd never leave. Skidding to a stop in front of Hiccup sitting astride Toothless she forced a grin. "Ready!"
Hiccup leaned forward and offered her his hand. "You're riding with the two of us since Thornado has the extra bags."
Stoick nodded "Berk is about three straight days of flying north of here. We won't be going too far tonight. There's a forested outcropping a few miles away. We'll camp there."
Tengan nodded her assent as she settled into the warm leather seat behind Hiccup. She looped one arm around the younger boy's waist and gripped the edge of the saddle with her free hand. "Sounds good. Let's go!"
"You heard the lady, bud!" Hiccup called, his prosthetic shifting slightly to open the artificial tail fin.
With a roar of what could only be described as pure joy, Toothless spread the large bat-like black wings on either side of him and kicked off the ground hard.
Tengan let out an involuntary gasp as the force drove her deeper into the saddle. She involuntarily shut her eyes for several seconds before mentally cursing at herself and cracking them open once more. They had already climbed tens of feet into the air and were rapidly circling upwards on a warm draft. Looking up, she could only see the full moon surrounded by hundreds of stars. Below, the people on the Shimmering Shores dwindled into insignificant specks as the ocean spread out endlessly before them.
Angling slightly downward to escape the updraft, Toothless leveled off in the air next to Thornado and the two turned their great heads north, murmuring low growls to one another on occasion.
"Hey, Tengan" Hiccup commented somewhat breathlessly. "You think you could loosen your grip a bit?"
"Oops, sorry!" She squeaked, forcing all the muscles in her arms to relax a bit. "Hiccup, this is amazing! How can you two ever bear to be on the ground!"
Hiccup laughed. "This is nothing! Tomorrow I'll show you REAL flying."