It was that time of year again. Vikings all over Berk were now training rigorously.
'Every year on Berk, we come together to test our strength, endurance and courage in the annual Thawfest Games.'
Astrid was currently in the Academy with Stormfly, exercising and doing handstand pushups.
'For some of us, it's not such a great time of the year…'
Meanwhile Aurora, Zenna was with Hiccup and Gobber in the woods, watching her surrogate brother practice in uprooting and throwing trees…or at least trying to.
"Come on, Hiccup! Pull! Put your back into it! Put your legs into it! Put your entire body into—YA!" Gobber managed to coach before yelping when the tree Hiccup was struggling to uproot shot back upright and swatted him in the face!
"Oops…" Zenna muttered while Hiccup stuttered out an apology.
"Hey!" Gobber grumbled but decided to forgive his apprentice. That's when they all heard someone yelling.
"Faster, Snotlout! You have to push yourself, son!" Spitelout coached his son, Snotlout, as he uprooted more trees and tossed them like javelins.
"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" both Jorgensons cheered, banging their helmets together. Next thing Hiccup had to train for was the Sheep Lug. And he was racing Snotlout.
"See ya! Wouldn't want to be ya!" Snotlout jeered as he kicked up some dirt in his cousin's face, leaving him to stumble and fall along with his sheep yelping, "Ah! Whoa-whoa-what-!"
'In fact, Hiccup has lost every single time…to that guy…'
Hiccup frowned deeply as he watched Snotlout and his father gloat. Zenna jogged up the track to assist Hiccup. "That boar-headed snot-faced…jerk!" Zenna grumbled, her one violet eye narrowing angrily at the pompous bruiser. But then Hiccup thought of something and secretly smiled to himself.
'But this year, all that will change. This year Hiccup may finally have a chance to win. Because, for the first time ever, this year, the Thawfest Games will include…'
Later that day, Gobber had gathered the teens and their dragons to make the big announcement.
"Dragons! They are now officially part of Thawfest. There will be three additional events. The fly-and-shoot, which will require you to fly straight and shoot straighter." Gobber informed them before a fireball suddenly whizzed by!
"Hey!" the two-limbed blacksmith exclaimed as his Thawfest flag was incinerated.
"Sorry! We were on the wrong head." Tuffnut apologized as he and his sister, Ruffnut, switched positions on their Hideous Zippleback, Barf and Belch.
"I knew something felt weird." Ruffnut remarked.
"Ah, much better." Tuffnut grinned now that all was right in the world…or at least, which Zippleback head he and his sister were now sitting on that is.
"Next, is the free-style. Where it's up to you to impress the judges with a trick of your choice." Gobber said just as Astrid and Stormfly flew by.
"That's it, girl. Just like we practiced…" Astrid smiled as she did a perfect gymnastics-worthy exhibition on Stormfly as they flew.
"Ah! The Nadder Wing Walk. Impressive, Astrid." Gobber praised the shield chubby Fishlegs Ingerman stepped forward.
"Um, excuse me. Meatlug and I were wondering if there were going to be any intellectual events. A puzzle, perhaps?" he asked politely while Meatlug feasted on a couple of rocks.
"I'll take that under advisement, Fishlegs." Gobber shrugged.
"I wouldn't mind a good puzzle game. It keeps the brain healthy and active." Zenna said, smiling as she petted Stryka. Gobber nodded in agreement and continued.
"And let's not forget the hurdles! Where you'll be asked to—" he said before…
"Woohoo-hoo-hoo-hooo!"
"Oh, here we go again…" Zenna sighed as Snotlout on Hookfang, his Monstrous Nightmare, flew in. And to make things even more interesting and annoying, Snotlout was wearing all his past Thawfest medals like a decked out Snoggletog Tree.
"You know what I love about the Thawfestival Games? Winning!" he said, puffing out his chest. "Wow, you don't say?" Zenna asked sarcastically, rolling her eye.
"You wanna touch one of my medals, just to see how it feels to be a winner?" Snotlout asked, showing one of his medals in front of Hiccup.
"Ah, I think I'll pass." Hiccup said plainly.
Snotlout had a smug smirk on his face that both Hiccup and Zenna now wanted to wipe off.
"My family has never lost a Thawfest Games. Ever." He proudly stated.
"Here we go…" Astrid sighed, knowing what was coming next. "Dragons or no dragons, I'll do what I do every year." Snotlout proclaimed.
"Let loose one of your embarrassing Oi, oi, oi battle cries?" Zenna asked mischievously, making the other teens and even Gobber chuckle.
Snotlout ignored the one-eyed Fiersome girl.
"Bring glory to the Jorgenson clan." He told her before looking at Hiccup. "And you'll do what you do: embarrass yours!" he sneered before getting on his Monstrous Nightmare.
"Ahem...!" Aurora interrupted with a raised eyebrow, impying that she was in the Games to for the first time. "You don't exactly know what I'm capable of, Snotlout. So watch your back..." she smirked.
Snotlout actually flinched a bit, knowing she was right but he shook it off. "Let's go, Hookfang!" Snotlout ordered his dragon.
Hookfang took off like a shot, going way too fast for his Rider's liking!
"AAAAHHH! I WILL CRUSH YOU ALL... MAYBE!" the brawny Jorgenson boy yelled as he and his dragon flew away.
"I'll believe it when I see it with my own one eye!" Zenna yelled back.
"Wow, you're trying to push Snotlout's buttons this year, Zen." Hiccup remarked.
"It's just a little friendly trash-talking, Hicc. Besides, Snotlout and I've been trying to best each other in the games for quite some time now. But I mostly play for fun." Zenna shrugged.
"That's true." "You have a point." "She's right." "I'll agree to that." Fishlegs, Astrid and the Twins mumbled their agreement. In fact, the only family in Berk who had ever come close to beating the Jorgenson clan in the Thawfest Games was the Fiersome family!
"I'll never fully understand how you're able to keep Snotlout on his toes. I hardly even see you train for the games!" Gobber shook his head in amazement. "You either Aurora."
"I'm just relying on my quick wits, reflexes and everything I've learned in the South." Zenna simply told him.
"Same thing, except for the South part." Aurora added.
Hiccup couldn't help but be impressed. He didn't want to be left behind, that's for sure! Good thing his brilliant inventor's brain had already come up with a good plan to win the Dragon events…
Later that evening, Hiccup was at his house with Toothless. The male Night Fury warbled softly as his Rider carefully made some measurements for his new saddle. "Aaaah-kay…Aha…" Hiccup murmured as his father and Chief, Stoick the Vast, arrived. "What are you two working on?" the great Chief asked curiously. "Some ideas for Thawfest." His son replied.
"Right…right…excellent…" Stoick nodded, rather pleased that his son was excited about the games for once. "So…did you need something, Dad?" Hiccup tilted his head. Stoick looked at Toothless. "Oh, well—uh—with the dragons, you could actually, uh…" he managed to say before Hiccup beat him to it. "Beat Snotlout? Best the Jorgensons?" Hiccup asked enthusiastically.
"Well, when you put it that way it does have a nice ring." Stoick chuckled and then waited for his son to say something. But Hiccup had, pretty much, run out of things to say so…
Awkward silence…
That lasted for a few seconds before Stoick felt that it was best to leave his son to his work.
"Okay, then! I'll let you get back to whatever it is, um, you two do. Yeah." He said, awkwardly excusing himself. Hiccup couldn't help but smile. Sure he and his Dad were on really good terms now, but their conversations can still be awkward sometimes.
"See you in the morning, Dad!" Hiccup called after his father who replied, "See you tomorrow as well, son!"
With that done, Hiccup turned back to Toothless to finish the necessary improvements.
Meanwhile in the Fiersome household, Aurora and Zenna were all tucked in for bed. Their parents, Edgar and Henna, smiled as they wished their daughters good-night.
"Now remember, loves: Play fair and give it all you've got." Henna gently reminded their daughters.
"We will, Mom." Aurora smiled.
"And make sure to keep Snotlout on his toes. But don't let your confidence get to your head." Edgar told her gently. "Though I'm excited to see how you do, since this is your first Thawfest Games."
"You got it, Dad. Who knows? Maybe this year, our family will win." Zenna yawned as she took off her eye patch and went to sleep.
The next morning, every Viking and Dragon was awake and hustling to the Berk Dragon Training Academy. The time had finally come!
"Let the Thawfestival Games begin!" Stoick boomed, sending the bleachers into thunderous applause. And, to start the games with a little dragon-flair, Stoick opened a crate and a bunch of colorful Terrible Terrors flew out of it! The crowd loved it…except when some cheeky Terrors tried to steal their game food!
Spitelout was with his son, giving him a pep talk.
"What are we?" Spitelout asked Snotlout.
"We're killers!" Snotlout replied with gusto.
"What do we do?"
"We kill!"
"What do we say?"
"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" both Jorgensons cheered, banging their helmets together.
In no time, the seven Viking teens were all lined up in the Academy for the first event. Hanging over a sea stack wall was a large sailcloth painted with the faces of the contestants (with Hiccup's face painted at the very bottom). Bucket and Mulch were the official game announcers.
"The contestants are lining up for the Sheep Lug!" Mulch announced.
"It's a good day for lugging sheep, Mulch." Bucket told his good friend. "Well, Bucket, everyday's a good day for lugging sheep." Mulch nodded in agreement.
The mechanics of the game were simple: Each contestant had a sheep placed on his or her shoulders and had to lug it all the way to the finish line before dropping the animal to let it loose.
Gobber carefully placed each sheep on each contestant's shoulders. He had to extra careful with Aurora cause of her wings, which were folded. "There, this should do it."
Snotlout was all ready to leave the others in the dust. Hiccup just frowned at his cousin's arrogance before smiling at Zenna, who smiled back at him and whispered, "Good luck, Hicc…"
"On your mark…Get set…" Mulch said slowly before, clank!
With a bang on Bucket's bucket, the sheep lugging teens were off!
Aurora, Snotlout, Hiccup and Zenna had managed to make it all the way to the finish line while the others dropped out, due to exhaustion, inability to carry the sheep or because the sheep did not like getting lugged.
Aurora and Snotlout both crossed the finish line at the same time.
Hiccup had barely crossed over the finish line when he collapsed in exhaustion. Zenna, on the other hand, chose the wrong time to try and straighten up and went tumbling backwards.
"Yeah!" Snotlout whooped as he triumphantly threw down his sheep. "That's my boy!" Spitelout grinned.
"That's our girl!" Edgar cheered.
"The first points of the Thawfest Games go to Aurora and Snotlout!" Mulch announced to the cheering crowds.
Snotlout grinned at the one-point line painted next to his face.
"Right where you belong! Down at my feet. Here, let me help you." He said, offering to help his cousin out. But before Hiccup knew it, Snotlout withdrew his hand.
"Oops! Too slow! As usual." Snotlout laughed, walking away before suddenly getting a good kick in the shin from Zenna as she stood up to help her surrogate brother.
"Sticks and stones, Hiccup. There'll be plenty more events." Zenna reassured her friend. Hiccup sighed but nodded. 'Sticks and stones…Sticks and stones…just like Zenna said…' he thought, trying to cheer up.
The next event, however, took the whole sticks and stones to a whole new and literal level.
"Next up is our traditional Log Roll event!" Mulch announced, waving to the log balanced on two posts where the teens had to stay on while trying running in place to roll it and take their opponents down to the rock pit below. Zenna grinned, knowing that this event was something she can surely win.
"Enjoy your face plants!" Snotlout jeered as Bucket's bucket went 'clang!'
The teens started running in place, making the log roll! Aurora, Snotlout and Zenna glanced at each other for a brief second before speeding up. Neither of them were ready to lose! Soon, they were the only ones competing! In the end…
"And another point goes to Snotlout and Aurora! And, what do we have here? Zenna has earned a point as well. Now that's definitely showing some fearsome determination." Mulch said in admiration as another point was added to Snotlout while a one point line was painted next to Zenna's face.
"That's my boy!" "That's our girls!" Spitelout and Zenna's parents cheered before looking at each other.
"Good games so far, Spitelout?" Edgar asked politely.
"Better than last year's I'll admit, Edgar. Your wee lass is keeping my son on his toes." Spitelout said nonchalantly.
"Let's all make sure that the competition's clean alright, gentlemen?" Henna asked primly, while keeping a hand on the pommel of her sword. Both men took one look at Henna and her weapon and quickly nodded.
If there was one thing those two fathers, and the rest of the men in Berk, feared more than the gods it was Henna and her sword…
Toothless spotted Hiccup lying amongst the rocks and helped him up.
"Ow. Thank you, Toothless." Hiccup groaned, rubbing his sore head while Stryka helped Zenna off the log.
"Phew! For a second there, I thought I was gonna go flying right off the log!" Zenna breathed out, a little winded.
"You did great, Zen." Hiccup smiled. "Hey, you did pretty awesome too. And remember, there are still a couple more events left." Zenna reminded him.
The next event…was something both Hiccup and Zenna dreaded. Hiccup for his lack of strength. Zenna for her one-eye restricted aim.
"The next event is the Axe Throwing contest, where accuracy is supreme." Mulch announced, just as Snotlout aimed at a barrel and threw his axe forward.
"Bull's Eye!" Mulch proclaimed as Snotlout's axe hit the barrel dead-center! The other teens weren't so lucky…
"And they go—ooh!" Mulch and the crowds commented as Astrid's and Fishlegs' axes collided with each other as they both threw and the Twins lost their balance while trying to swing theirs around!
Zenna and Hiccup were next. Taking a deep breath, Zenna focused on her target barrel and threw her axe forward as hard as she could. But it missed the bull's eye by just mere inches. "Oh well, sticks and stones and whatever will be will be." Zenna shrugged. She wasn't really an expert axe thrower but at least she did her best.
Hiccup's throw was pretty good…If the barrel had just been a little bit closer, it would've hit the bull's eye instead of the floor!
"Here's how it's done, Dragon Boy." Snotlout sneered as he tossed a couple more axes, with his back turned and still getting perfect shots!
"Showoff!" Hiccup grumbled under his breath while Astrid and Zenna just glared at the pompous Jorgenson brat.
"Now let's see how Aurora does with this..." Mulch said and all eyes were on Aurora as she picked up her axe and looked at the target. Aurora shrugged and threw the axe... and it struck the bulleye! "And it's a bulleye with no effort!" Mulch exclaimed.
Snotlout was surprised, "Huh?!"
Then Aurora came over, "I told you, Snotlout."
"Oh please, that doesn't mean you'll win the Games, Aurora. Cause I'm gonna win this year as we do every year."
"We'll see.." Aurora challenged and the two circled each other before they broke into song together.
(Aurora)
Who is better than who?
(Snotlout)
You'll see it's me, not you
(Aurora)
Only one way to know if that's true
(Both)
Show me what you can do
Snotlout then tossed a couple more axes, with his back turned and got prefect shots once more
(Snotlout)
So, try and keep up with me
To his shock, Aurora was doing the same thing as him and she was getting the same results!
(Aurora)
I can do that, you'll see
Snotlout narrowed his eyes
(Snotlout)
Time to finally prove who's best
(Both)
But, just who will that be?
And the two started to do their own challenges! Like rockwall climbing and some oher challenges.
Whoa-oh, look at you go
(Snotlout)
You're tied with me
(Aurora)
Let's try one more dare
(Both)
Whoa-oh, look at you go
What else can you do?
So, we can see who
Who is better than who
Who is better than who?
(Snotlout)
I got you on the run
(Aurora)
Except, I think that it's fun
Then the two did a strength competition where they lifted some large boulders. Snotlout lifted one but when he looked he saw Aurora had three boulders and some sheep on her pile.
(Snotlout)
All that matters right now is winning and-
So, maybe you've won
(Aurora)
There's still more we can try
Our only limit's the sky
(Snotlout)
No one else can keep up with this lout
(Aurora)
Maybe I'll be your tie
(Both)
Whoa-oh, look at you go
(Snotlout)
You're tied with me
(Aurora)
Let's try one more dare
(Both)
Whoa-oh, look at you go
What else can you do?
So we can see who
Who is better than who
Who is better than who?
(Snotlout)
You're fast and so acrobatic
(Aurora)
You're so fun and care-free
(Snotlout)
Doesn't matter which way you go
(Both)
You're standing right next to me
Whoa-oh, look at you go
(Snotlout)
You're tied with me
(Aurora)
I've run out of dares
(Both)
Whoa-oh, we just don't know
Who is better than who
(Aurora)
I think maybe it's you
(Snotlout)
No, maybe it's you
(Both)
Who is better than who?
Who is better than who?
Nobody's better than you
"Well, well, well, looks like Snotlout might have met his match in the newcomer of the Thawfest Games." Mulch stated. "Let's see how this rivalry plays out."
Later that day, Hiccup looked at the sailcloth.
"Well, dead last." He quipped, seeing the blank white space next to his picture.
"Wow! I have all three points and the best-looking picture? Unfair!" Snotlout said loudly in triumph.
"Ahem.." Aurora coughed, pointing to her picutre seeing that she and Snotlout were tied with first place.
"You forgot someone." Zenna reminded him, pointing at the one point line next to her picture.
"So you got one point? Big deal! You and Hiccup will never come close to beating me!" Snotlout scoffed at her.
"And what about Aurora?" Astrid questioned. "She matched you with everything, if not better."
"Well... shut up Astrid..." Snotlout grumbled.
Hiccup immediately took a dislike to his cousin dissing his surrogate sister and stepped forward with Toothless.
"Oh, have your fun now. Tomorrow, everything changes…Right, bud?" Hiccup said, looking at his loyal best friend. Toothless just warbled.
"When the dragon events are underway, you better watch your back because Stryka and I are raring to go." Zenna chimed in, Stryka smiling toothlessly in agreement.
Snotlout didn't look nervous.
"I can't wait. Because Hookfang and I? It's like boy and dragon have become one. We're like a Bragon. Or a Droy." He stated as he got on his Monstrous Nightmare's back and flew off.
"Or a Snotfang!" he yelled at them.
"Whatever!" Zenna called after him.
"Yeah? Well, tomorrow you're gonna have to deal with…Hicctooth!" Hiccup shouted. Toothless and Stryka gave him confused looks, Zenna nearly snorted with laughter while Astrid merely repeated, "Hicctooth?"
"Yeah, it's not my snappiest comeback." Hiccup admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
"Why are you letting yourself get caught up in this?" Astrid asked the auburn-headed teen in concern.
"Because…for the first time ever, I have a chance to beat Snotlout. To quiet him down—" Hiccup managed to say before Snotlout and Hookfang flew past them, the Jorgenson boy proudly shouting, "Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!"
"Dude, just get the hell out of here!" Zenna yelled with annoyance.
"What am I Night Fury liver?!" Aruroa exclaimed.
"Oh- Sorry Aurora." Hiccup apologized. "You might have a chance to beat Snotlout too, in fact.. you have a better chance than me come tomorrow."
"Good point." Astrid said upon seeing Hiccup's point. Before leaving, Astrid smiled at Hiccup.
"I have to admit, it would be nice to see someone else with a Thawfest medal." She said loudly and left the Academy.
Hiccup set his face in hard determination.
"You've spiked your last sheep, 'Snotfang'. Tomorrow's a new day." He said determinedly. Zenna didn't fail to hear her surrogate brother say that and gently placed a hand on his shoulder to make him look at her.
"Sticks and stones, Hiccup. Give it all that you've got…but don't let it all get to your head." She gently reminded before leaving to get ready for the next day of the Thawfestival Games.
The next day, both Vikings and Dragons were fired up for the Dragon Events!
"Welcome to day two of the Thawfest Games!" Mulch announced. "It's a good day for lugging sheep, Mulch." Bucket added helpfully.
nside the Academy, hurdles were set up. And what the dragons and their Riders had to do was go under them. "First up, the Hurdles!" Mulch announced the event.
Snotlout smirked. "Hurdles, shmurdles. I could make it over them in my sleep." He boasted. Hiccup gestured to the hurdles with his hand. "Be my guest." He offered. "You've got the rules of the game all wrong, Snot." Zenna rolled her eye. "You don't go over them, Snotlout, you go under them." Astrid told the Jorgenson boy. Snotlout blinked in surprise before saying, "Duh. I knew that." He said defensively. "I'm sure you did…" Zenna said sarcastically as they lined up.
"And first up is Fishlegs!"
At the go signal, Fishlegs and Meatlug took off! But they ended up getting stuck in the first hurdle! Lesson learned: Gronckles are not good at going under hurdles.
"Um, guys! A little help over here! It's okay, girl. This just isn't our event." The chubby Ingerman boy yelped, speaking soothingly to his disappointed female Gronckle on his last sentence.
Astrid was next. She and Stormfly were doing pretty well, until Stormfly's tail accidentally knocked a few of the hurdles down. The Twins on their Zippleback were far off worse. With their dragon's two heads, they had barely gone under a few hurdles before Barf and Belch got their necks tangled in one hurdle, sending their Riders off their saddles and into the crowd!
"Okay, girl…Let's do this!" Zenna whooped before she and Stryka flew to the hurdles. Stryka flipped over and she and Zenna easily got under all of the hurdles.
"Ready, Shadow?"
"Ready!" Shadow cheered and Aurora mounted her Dramillion and folded her wings. She and Shadow flew to the hurdles and Shadow flew perfectly underneath all of the hurdles. Edgar and Henna cheered as their daughters got another point.
Now Snotlout and Hiccup were the only ones left.
"Where's your book, Hiccup?! You might wanna take notes! Haha!" Snotlout taunted his cousin before he and his dragon took off. This time, Snotlout wasn't so lucky. Hookfang fit under all the hurdles, alright. But with him on his back, Snotlout was within smacking distance of the hurdles. He yelped several times as his face hit the wooden hurdles until they were finally done.
Hiccup smiled. He knew that he and Toothless got this. "Let's show them how it's done." He told his best dragon friend. Taking a cue from Zenna and Stryka, Hiccup and Toothless smoothly glided under the hurdles upside-down!
"And Hiccup makes a perfect run!" Mulch announced as Hiccup finally got a one point line painted next to his picture.
Zenna was with all the others when Hiccup finally joined them and was just about to congratulate him when…he did something the one-eyed girl never thought he would ever do.
"HA, HA, HA! Did you hear what he said? Perfect! I-I believe those are my first Thawfest points ever! I just realized something: I like beating Snotlout! I feel taller. Am I taller? Never mind, don't answer that." The one-legged, auburn-headed boy rambled.
Zenna could hardly believe her eye and ears. Hiccup was actually gloating! Holy Shields, the Games suddenly didn't look so much fun anymore…
Apparently Zenna wasn't the only one shocked at Hiccup's behavior…
"Is he…gloating?" Fishlegs whispered to Astrid in shock. "I'm not sure. I've never actually seen Hiccup gloat." Astrid replied uncertainly before looking at Zenna. The one-eyed Fiersome girl pursed her lips, not really sure on what to say.
Snotlout had finally finished his failed run and had joined the others. "Don't get too excited. You know what this is? The number of wins I need to end this thing." Snotlout said, holding up two fingers before continuing with, "And you know what this is? Still the number of chances I have." To which Hiccup held up two fingers apart a couple of centimeters. "Oh, yeah? Well, you know what this is? The size of your brain. No. Wait…" Hiccup said before pinching his fingers together. "That's much better." He said nonchalantly.
Snotlout looked miffed but decided to ignore him. "Like you've ever seen my brain. Come on, Hookfang." He huffed as he and his Monstrous Nightmare left.
Hiccup then turned to see both Astrid and Zenna looking at him incredulously. "What? He started it…when we were five." He said in defense. "Sticks and stones…Sticks and stones…" Zenna chanted to herself, channeling her Zen vibes. She just hoped that that was the first and last time she'll ever see Hiccup act like Snotlout…but man, was she wrong.
"Next we have the Free-Style event! Contestants and their dragons show off their style and abilities!" Mulch said as the Twins and their Zippleback kicked off the event.
"Check this out!" Ruffnut yelled as she balanced on one foot on top of her twin brother's head.
"We call it 'The Iron Split'!" Tuffnut proclaimed as Barf and Belch did a neck-split making him split as well! A bunch of Vikings winced at that point. Ruffnut and Tuffnut, eh, they got meager points.
Fishlegs and Meatlug were up next. "We like to call this next feat of daring 'The Extreme Butterfly'!" he cheered as Meatlug began to fly around in a circle, going faster with each turn!
But then Meatlug got dizzy and they spun right out of control! The judges weren't so impressed.
"It's okay, girl. This just isn't our event either." Fishlegs reassured Meatlug.
Then Astrid and Stormfly wowed the crowds with their trick. "Wow…'The Balance Dance'…" Fishlegs said in awe as the Hofferson shield maiden did a full gymnastics routine-like dance on her Nadder's back as they flew around.
"How does she make it look so easy?" Fishlegs wondered out loud. "How come you can't do that? I mean…I could." Tuffnut said to Ruffnut before getting thrown to the ground. In the end, Astrid nearly got a perfect score.
Zenna and Stryka were just one point shy of winning the event after they had performed a daring stunt that involved Stryka doing a mid-air loop with Zenna falling off of her back to do a mid-air somersault and landed in a handstand. Zenna didn't mind losing the event.
She knew that she and her best dragon friend did their best. And that was what really mattered to Zenna. Do your best in each event and have fun, just like her parents told her.
Next up, Aurora and Shadow. Their performance was something no one could see coming.. a musical performance. Aurora's Amulet shined brightly as the two broke into song
(Both)
Hakuna Matata!
What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata!
Ain't no passing craze
(Aurora)
It means no worries
For the rest of your days
(Shadow)
Yeah, sing it, kid!
(Both)
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!
Hakuna Matata
Hakuna Matata
Hakuna Matata
Hakuna
It means no worries
For the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata
The crowd went wild for the performance, "And there's a first for the Thawfest Games. A singing duo between a dragon and its rider." Mulch said with glee.
Hiccup and Toothless proceeded to do their free-style exhibition. First they flew around the Academy at top speed. Then, as they approached an oncoming sea stack, Toothless did a mega somersault that vaulted them right over it!
"WHOO-HOO! YEAH, BABY!" Hiccup whooped as they victoriously flew back to the Academy. Then he saw the large wooden hoops set up and looked at his friends quizzically.
"I hear Snotlout's gonna try a trick called 'The Rings of Deadly Fire'. No one's ever tried it before." Tuffnut informed him and the others.
"Yeah! Because it's too dangerous!" Ruffnut said gleefully.
"No! Because he just made it up!" Tuffnut retorted.
"Oh, this can only end badly…" Zenna shook her head hopelessly while Hiccup worriedly glanced at Snotlout and Hookfang. True, he didn't get along with his cousin all that well, but Hiccup didn't want Snotlout getting hurt…
Snotlout didn't seem to mind the inevitable consequences of his stunt, though. "I'm probably gonna win just for coming up with this!" he boasted as he and Hookfang took off!
"Fire!" At Snotlout's command, Hookfang blasted the hoops and set them ablaze. But once the Monstrous Nightmare saw the blazing hoops, he panicked and suddenly stopped, sending his Rider off of his back and hurtling towards the hoops! Luckily it was only Snotlout's bottom that suffered the Rings of Deadly Fire's wrath.
Most of the villagers couldn't help but laugh as the Jorgenson boy yelped once he saw that his butt was on fire and had to jump into a nearby water trough.
"I get the rings and the fire part…but where's the death? I feel cheated." Tuffnut frowned at the failed death-defying act, his sister nodding in agreement.
That left Aurora with 5, Snotlout still at 3, Hiccup and Zenna now both at 2.
The last event of the day was both a great game and an excellent way to train.
"The contestants are lined up for the Fly-and-Shoot, where they must shoot down their foes and spare their friends!" Mulch announced.
Wooden pop-up dummies of Outcasts and Berkians were scattered all throughout the dock area. While the rest of the Dragon Riders didn't score well in this event, two Night Fury Riders did perfectly.
"Foe! Friend! Lots of foes, shoot! Bunch of friends, spare!" Zenna hollered as she and Stryka maneuvered around the course, Stryka landing perfect shots on the Outcast targets and expertly steering clear of the Berkian targets.
"Awesome and stellar work as always, girl! Now we're tied with Snotlout and Hookfang!" Zenna praised her dragoness. Stryka smiled toothlessly and gave her Rider a lick.
She, like Zenna, didn't care about winning but the Thawfest Games sure were fun!
Now it was Hiccup and Toothless' turn. The inseparable duo cautiously flew when an Outcast target sprang up!
"Outcast, bud!" Hiccup warned Toothless who immediately fired a plasma blast. Then a Berkian target popped up! "Toothless, no! She's a friend!" Hiccup quickly averted Toothless. Then as they were about to leave, Toothless spotted another Outcast target and blasted it to smithereens, no command necessary.
"Thanks bud. I didn't see that one." Hiccup remarked as they left the playing field. "Hiccup and Toothless come through with a perfect score, along with Hiccup and Zenna!" Mulch cheered along with the crowds.
Now for Aurora and this time she had Pouncer, Dart and Ruffrunner doing it with her. "Ahh, we see Aurora using her little Night Light friends for this competition, let's see how these hybrid dragons do for their first try." Mulch announced.
Dart, Pouncer and Ruffrunner flew over Berk when an Outcast target sprang up. Dart chirped and she and her brother fired at the target perfectly. They continued flying when a pop out of some kids came up, Dart chirped and the trio kept flying and they finished their run. "And the Night Lights complete it perfectly!"
"Good job, you three.." Aurora cooed at the three Night Lights.
Meanwhile Snotlout and Hookfang were slightly nervous.
"Okay, Hookfang. A clean run here and we're the champs!" Snotlout tried to encourage his dragon, who slightly warbled in agreement before they began their run.
"Fire!" Snotlout ordered, seeing an Outcast target. Hookfang fired and hit the target. "Gotcha! Hahaha!" Snotlout whooped triumphantly. But the Outcast target was also near a bag of sand and the sand had gotten in Hookfang's face, causing him to become disoriented!
Before Snotlout could stop him, Hookfang fired at a bunch of Berkian children targets!
"NO! Those were kids you six-thousand-pound lizard!" Snotlout yelped before full on panicking as Hookfang went crazy! "No! What?! What are you doing?! STOP! SHOOTING!" the Jorgenson boy screamed in fear.
"Snotlout! Get that dragon under control!" Spitelout snapped, clearly not enjoying watching his son fail.
"This does not look good for the reigning Thawfestival Champion!" Mulch gulped while the crowds gasped in fear.
The Thorston Twins, on the other hand…were thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" they cheered.
At the end of the event, the most unexpected thing happened.
"And for the first time in Thawfest history, we have a newcomes and a triple tie! Tomorrow, these four young Vikings will go head-to-head in an event to decide the Thawfestival Champion!" Mulch announced, waving to Hiccup, Zenna and Snotlout onstage as they waved to the crowds.
Zenna and Aurora smiled upon seeing her parents cheering for her and felt great. This was her first time she came really close to winning the Games! But then, her mood soured when she overheard Snotlout and Hiccup talking.
"I can't believe how lucky you are. You don't even belong on this stage with me." Snotlout said through gritted teeth.
"That's it. Keep talking, Snotlout, as your family's winning streak goes up in smoke…just like your Rings of Deadly Fire." Hiccup replied as they stepped off the stage. Dart narrowed her eyes and fired a small plasma blast at Hiccup's feet. "Hey!"
"Hiccup, enough of that." Aurora scolded.
"Yeah you tell him, Aurora." Snotlout smirked before she glared at him, "You too.."
"What?!" Snotlout exclaimed.
"You need to stop being so concerned about winning and just focus on having fun." Aurora said.
"Winning is fun. For my family reputation." Snotlout retorted, not seeing his dad, watching the converstation.
"Who cares about a reputation? Shadow always said to me, 'Do your best and forget about the rest'. Meaning, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, if you do your best that's just as good. And Snotlout, win or lose... you're still number 1 in my book.."
That comment caught everyone off guard, even Spitelout. "Just think about what I said." Aurora said before she flew out of the Academy with Shadow and the Night Lights.
That Night..
Aurora and her friends were flying over Berk, patrolling the area. when...
"AAAAHHHH! HOLY SHIELDS, THAT HURTS!" "HHRREEEEWWLLLPPP!"
"Zenna? Stryka?!" Aurora called. Without a second to waste, the group flew off to where their two girls were.
"Just stay still, love! Stay absolutely still!" Henna said frantically as she tried to calm her daughter down. "Mom, I'm trying! It just hurts so bad!" Zenna cried, tears slipping down her face. A bunch of men were sputtering out apologies to Edgar as he and Serpent and Serpentine, along with Viggo and Venom and Stoick on Thornado, struggled to lift a heavy wooden pole. Stryka crooned and nuzzled the weeping Fiersome girl in attempts to comfort her.
Here's how all this nighttime madness started: Zenna and Stryka were just having a nighttime stroll around the village. They had passed by some men in the village having an axe-throwing contest of their own when one of the men tossed his axe. The axe had cleanly cut a heavy wooden pole down that toppled over in Zenna's direction! Zenna was able to jump out of the way to avoid a direct head-on hit…but when she did, she lost her balance and fell on her backside. And the pole landed right on her left leg, making a sickening crack as it got fractured!
"Hold on, Zenna! Just a little bit longer!" Stoick told the Fiersome girl who cried out, "This is really prolonging the agony, just so you know!" before crying out in pain again.
Aurora landed and gasped, "I got this." she whistled, "Mist, Spark, Blaze, Flare.."
The Titian Wing Zippleback and two Monstrous Nightmares came flying over at Aurora's call, "Lift the log off of Zenna's leg."
The three dragons nodded and used their legs and lifted the pole off of Zenna's legs.
"Zen!" Hiccup yelled in alarm once he saw his surrogate sister and shoved his way through the crowd to get to her. Zenna was still upset with him. But now, she was honestly really glad to see Hiccup. "Hiccup, it hurts…" she whimpered as her father and Stoick finally got their dragons to lift the pole off of her leg. "I know, I know…Don't worry…You're gonna be alright…" Hiccup murmured soothingly to her
"We have to bring her to the healer now! I'll accept your apologies later!" Edgar said to the men before scooping Zenna up in his arms.
The poor father's heart clenched painfully when Zenna let out a small sob in pain as he and his wife mounted their Zippleback to fly her to Gothi's.
Toothless gave his beloved mate a comforting nudge, telling Stryka to go with them. Nodding sadly, the one-eyed dragoness followed the maroon Zippleback.
"I'm coming too. Viggo, let's go." Aurora called.
"Right.." Viggo said and the trio followed the group.
It was late in the night when Hiccup finally went to bed. He and his father stayed outside Gothi's house for hours until Edgar and Henna came out.
Much to their relief, Zenna just had a broken leg and nothing more. What made Hiccup really relieved was that it wasn't so serious that they'll have to amputate. But that meant that Zenna couldn't participate in the last event of the Thawfest Games tomorrow.
The next morning, Aurora, Shadow, Hiccup, Toothless, Snotlout and Hookfang were prepping for the final event.
Stoick then came by along with Spitelout to check on them.
"Remember, son…no pressure." Stoick told his son, who looked sort of on edge. And it was understandable. Stoick could see that his son was slightly sleep-deprived and a bit rattled.
On account of what happened to Zenna last night, the poor boy hardly slept through the night. Hiccup just nodded to his father as he left.
"Yeah. Whoo! Gotta keep it loose…" Snotlout mumbled to himself, doing stretches.
"Snotlout!" Spitelout approached his son.
"Yeah! Hey, Dad. Just stretchin' out the hammies, ya know?" Snotlout greeted his father enthusiastically.
"Listen son... I heard... what Aurora said yesterday and... I think she's right." Spitlout said.
Snotlout was surprised at his father, "As long as the others still think you're number 1 in their book, like Aurora, it doesn't matter if you win or lose.. like she said." Spitelout smiled and his son smiled back and nodded. Then Spitlout left to watch from the stands.
That's when Aurora, Snotlout and Hiccup saw Zenna hobbling into the Academy, with Stryka worriedly following her.
"Ow, ow, ow, really, ow…" Zenna muttered as she leaned against her crutches. Her left leg was set in a mud cast.
"Whoa, what happened to you?" Snotlout asked in shock.
"Oh, come on. I broke my leg via falling pole and my pain-filled screams never reached your ears?" Zenna asked incredulously.
"I'm a heavy sleeper!" Snotlout held up his hands in defense.
"Whatever. Just don't pull any dirty tricks in the event later." Zenna rolled her eye before looking at Hiccup.
"Are you doing okay?" Hiccup asked worriedly.
"Eh, crutches are a pain." Zenna said simply. Stryka and Toothless warbled and playfully nuzzled her. "Thanks for the love, you two." Zenna smiled.
"I should get to the docks, now." Zenna said as she and Stryka went off.
"Welcome to the final deciding event of this year's Thawfest Games. The Obstacle Course Race! Take it away, Gobber!" Mulch announced. Gobber then pointed to a large map drawn on the Academy wall.
"The race will start here in the stadium, where, after the Log-Dodge, and the Cliff-Climb, Aurora, Hiccup and Snotlout will get on their dragons, loop around the flagship anchored off the coast, slalom through the sea-stack maze, then head back here! The first one to pass that finish line is the winner!" the two-limbed blacksmith announced, gesturing to all the obstacles.
"Look at those goose bumps!" Gobber grinned, excited as well.
"On your mark…Get set…and…GO!"
At the sound of Bucket's bucket being banged, the race started!
Aurora and Snotlout started off great, running at full speed with Hiccup not far behind.
Aurora and Snotlout deftly dodged the logs some men rolled down a ramp with ease and got a head start on the Cliff Climb. Hiccup wasn't far behind.
Although he had difficulty in avoiding the logs, he managed to get to the solid rock cliff wall. At that point, Stoick got out of his chair and hurried to the docks. If things went bad, he could easily hop on either Thornado or Stryka to help his son.
Aurora and Snotlout was scaling the cliff wall like a man possessed. Even when boulders were tossed down, they refused to let up.
Aurora blocked one boulder with her wing while one rock scored a direct hit on Snotlouts' face!
"Ooh! Rock to the face! Heh, I love a good rock to the face." Tuffnut grinned. Ruffnut smiled mischievously and then bashed a rock right into her brother's face!
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about…" Tuffnut mumbled woozily.
"Behave, you two." Zenna called out from her position on her father's lap as she petted Stryka and her mother gave her a yummy sandwich.
One thing you should know: Whenever Zenna gets sick or injured, her parents love to spoil her.
Hiccup was having a hard time climbing the cliff. And the boulders the men hurling off the cliff didn't help matters. Suddenly he lost his footing and began to fall! Zenna nearly choked on her sandwich when she saw her surrogate brother in peril!
"He's falling!" Mulch yelled in alarm. "I can't watch!" Fishlegs squeaked and covered his eyes. Aurora gasped and extenede her tail to him and he grabbed it, "Got'cha." Aurora said.
"Impressive, quick save by Aroura." Mulch smiled at Aurora's act of kindness towards Hiccup. The trio climbed the rock wall and went over to their dragons. Aurora had chose Snow for this event. And the three were off.
"Look at them go!" Mulch said in awe.
Snow flapped her wings and caught up with Toothless and actually passed him and caught up with Snotlout and Hookfang
True enough, Toothless was flapping his wings at speeds he never even tried until now. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, spurring him further until they caught up with Snotlout and Hookfang to loop around the anchored flagship!
Stryka roared a cheer to her beloved mate while Gobber announced, "Arorua's closing in on Snotlout!" Stoick rolled his eyes along with Zenna.
"We can see that, Gobber!" they both stated knowingly.
As the pair caught up with Snotlout and Hookfang, things began to heat up.
"Hey! How's that feel? Ha, ha, ha!" Snotlout laughed as he and Hookfang shot ahead.
"Okay. Let's see what this new tail can really do." Hiccup mumbled, fully opening the new tail fin. And just like that, Toothless sped up like a cannonball going at top speed!
"Wow…that, I'll admit, is awesome…" Zenna murmured in admiration while her Dad adjusted to let her see better.
"Did you see that, Bucket? That sudden burst of speed!" Mulch said in awe, his fellow fisherman nodding in agreement.
The two competitors then approached the sea stack maze, where the real challenge was. With the narrow spaces, maneuvering their dragons around the maze was tricky. "Okay, girl like we practiced..." Aurora said before Snow nodded Snow folded her wings a little as she zig and zagged through the maze with little difficulty. "Look at the Light Fury, go. Moving through the maze just as well as Toothless!" Mulch cheered.
After the maze, the three of them were neck in neck. "Alright bud, let's finish this.." Hiccup told his best friend. Toothless warbled as the group neared the finish line, until.. "LOOK OUT!" Aurora and Winter pushed the four out of the way just as a fireball came and struck the two sending them crashing into a sea stack and onto another!
The crowd gasped in horror. "Aurora!" "Sis!" Edgar, Henna and Zenna called in horror.
"What the-?" Snotlout asked before he saw what happened, "Flyers!" he yelled.
True Enough, four dragon flyers and their Singetails appeared and flew towards the down dragon and rider, "Aurora!" HIccup called as he, Toothless, Snotlout and Hookfang charged and intercepted them. "Hookfang, fire!" Snotlout called and his Monstrous Nightmare blasted the dragons but the Singetails countered with two fire balls.
"They're outnumbered!" Astrid called.
"Not for long, Bolt, Blitz let's go!" Viggo called and he and Venom took off along with the two Skrills. Hearing the Skrills roars, the four Singetails turned and roared at them and fired a fireball but Bolt fired lightning at it, neutralizing the attack before shocking both the Flyer and the Singetail, making the rider fall and the Singetail fly away.
"Viggo, get Aurora!" Hiccup called.
"On it." Viggo said and he and Venom got over to Aurora who groaned while holding her arm. "Aurora, are you alright..?"
"Ugh... my arm.. I think its broken..." Aurora grunted in pain.
"Easy... I'll get you to Gothi's." Viggo said as he carefully picked up Aurora bridal style and mounted Venom. The three then flew off to Gothi's.
Meanwhile, Hiccup, Snotlout along with the Skrills drove away the Flyers, "Yeah, that's right. You better run!" Snotlout bragged.
Hiccup gave a small grin at his distant cousin. "Come on, let's get check on Aurora."
Snotlout nodded and the four headed off to Gothi's.
Later...
Aurora was laying in her bed with her arm in a sling. The fracture wasn't that bad, but she had to wear the cast for about a week while the bone healed.
The Thawfest games ended with Aurora winning but she decided to give her medal to Snotlout, much to his and Spitelout's surprise. She told them it was alright and that having a medal doesn't really mean alot to her. Snotlout and his dad looked at each other but they ultimately decided that Aurora could keep the medal.
Aurora accepted the medal which now was on her bed stand. Zenna, Edgar and Henna were proud of me, not only for winning but her behavior during the games. Snow, Shadow and the Night Lights came into the room and nuzzled her. "Hehe.. hey guys.." Aurora greeted.
Snow and Shadow cooed and nuzzled her cheek.
'So the Thawfest Games ended with an unexpected twist, but I don't really care about that. What matters that sometimes the friendship between others is more important than the competition itself.'