Stepping Forward
Chapter Three
Taking inventory of the stored food wasn't exactly fun, but it was important. Berk's survival through the long devastating winter depended on the crops they harvested, and the fish and other game they caught. Hiccup knew that as well as anyone, so he willingly helped his father tally the provisions in the large warehouses, and, to his surprise, the morning passed quickly.
At noon they closed the last warehouse door and headed back to the Great Hall for lunch. Hiccup had a feeling that he was going to be seeing a lot more of the Hall now that he was working with his father, but it did make sense to eat their lunch there. The meal was already prepared so it would save time as they wouldn't have to cook their own, and it was closer to the village than climbing up the hill to the Chief's house.
As they walked down the road, Hiccup enjoyed the warmth of the mid-day sun and the sights and sounds of village life, though it was actually rather quiet just now. The farmers were hard at work on their farms outside of town, as the harvest was still ongoing. The shopkeepers were inside their shops, but a few of the villagers were roaming the streets. Elderly men and women were sitting on chairs outside their homes, soaking up the sun and gossiping with one another. In a distant field, Hiccup could see that Astrid's mother, Ingrid Hofferson, had set up several archery targets and was teaching a group of older children to use a bow and arrow. Down on the docks, the fishermen mended their nets and sewed a torn sail.
He smiled at the peaceful scenes and glanced over but Stoick was absorbed in studying the parchment of inventories, frowning down at it.
"Something wrong, Dad?" Hiccup asked. "I thought everything looked good. We didn't lose any provisions in the battle, did we?"
Stoick shook his head though he didn't seem at ease. "No, we didn't lose any of our food, by some miracle. The harvest has been excellent so far, fishing and hunting too. We should end up with plentiful provisions—for Berk's normal population, that is."
They stopped walking and Hiccup looked at his father in confusion for a moment, before his eyes widened and he caught his breath. "But we have so many more dragons now."
"Yes, several hundred came with your mother. That's a lot more mouths to feed," Stoick commented.
Hiccup considered options. "Could the ships travel further west towards the Sanctuary? There seemed to be tons of fish around there."
"That's what I'm thinking," Stoick agreed. "Even so, it would be a major undertaking to gather enough fish to feed all of the dragons through the winter. It would take the entire fleet and they'd likely be gone for a couple of weeks." He sighed. "I'm going to speak with your mother this afternoon. She might need to be at the meeting tonight. If we're going to send the ships out, we need to hurry up about it. It's early, but we have had storms in October before."
"I wonder if some of the dragons could go back to the Sanctuary for the winter," Hiccup said. "It wasn't badly damaged; I think they just all wanted to stay together."
"I'll talk about it with your mother while you're working with the Riders this afternoon," Stoick agreed. "And Hiccup, tell them we're still discussing options, but if we do send the fleet out, some of the Dragon Riders will need to go too."
Hiccup nodded. Ever since dragons and Berkians had learned to live together, a team of dragons led by the Riders often accompanied fishing trips. The dragons were helpful in tracking schools of fish, and they could save lives in case of a shipwreck by carrying the sailors back to shore. Luckily, they had not yet had to deal with a fully capsized boat, but there had been a couple of times when the dragons had had to tow a damaged ship back home—not counting the aftermath of the Battle of Dragon Island, when the dragons had brought back the entire fleet.
Stoick was still planning. "Maybe some of the Auxilliary team, but I want at least two from the Senior team along as well. And not just the twins."
"Ruff and Tuff can be serious when they need to be," Hiccup replied. "But maybe Snotlout since his dad is in charge of the ships—unless you're planning to go."
Stoick considered before a smile slowly spread across his face—he loved sailing. "Why not? Everything should be all right here. You could come, too. You could lead the Dragon Riders."
Hiccup grinned at the idea of two weeks with lots of flying time. "Maybe this Assistant Chief thing isn't so bad after all."
"See, I told you you'd enjoy it," Stoick joked. "Of course, it isn't settled yet. But we'll talk about it at the meeting tonight. Now, let's see what Torin's put together for lunch."
After a quick meal of yak chops and vegetable stew, Hiccup left the Great Hall. Stoick was savoring his lunch and talking with Bucket about the fall weather, but there was something else Hiccup wanted to do while he had the time.
A Gronckle stood at the side of the forge that Gobber had dedicated to dragon dentistry. As Hiccup approached the shop, he could see the burly blacksmith replacing a missing tooth with the same tenderness as a mother caring for her newborn infant.
"All right now, that should do it. But remember, no eating rocks or anything hard for the rest of the afternoon. That tooth needs time to set," Gobber warned as the Gronckle gave him a friendly nuzzle in thanks and trotted off to join some friends sunning themselves in the village square.
Gobber noticed Hiccup and started to call out a greeting, but he was interrupted by a sudden thud and the tinny, clanking noise of a thousand nails rolling across the floor. Gobber and Hiccup both turned to see a small black-haired boy about ten years old staring in horror at the once-full box of nails he had just dropped.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Gobber, sir!" Gustav cried. "I didn't mean to! I'll pick them all up!"
Gobber patted the boy's shoulder with his natural hand. "Calm down, lad. It's not the end of the world. No use crying over spilled nails, you know."
Hiccup went inside and knelt to help Gustav gather the nails. "He's right, Gustav. Don't worry, I used to make much bigger messes than this. How many times did I set the forge on fire, Gobber?"
"Not sure," the blacksmith grunted. "I lost track after the first dozen times."
Gustav looked at Hiccup with hopeful curiousity. "Really?"
"He most certainly did," Gobber answered. "Why, once he managed to set the kiln ablaze and-."
"You're not counting that, are you?" Hiccup demanded. "That was so small it was hardly a fire at all. I don't think that should count."
"And then there was the time with that running water engine thing," Gobber reflected.
"That was more of an explosion, actually," Hiccup mused. "But the water put the fire out right away."
Gobber burst out laughing. "That it did." He smiled proudly at Hiccup. "And it was the prototype for our water system now, so I'd say it worked out well in the end."
Between them, it didn't take long before all the nails had been picked up and the box placed back on its shelf.
Gobber straightened and nodded to his new apprentice. "Time for a lunch break, Gustav. You run along home and be back in an hour or so. We'll work on cutting leather for dragon saddles this afternoon."
The small boy ran off towards his home and Hiccup turned to his old mentor with a smile. "Well, it looks like you've found another Hiccup."
But Gobber shook his head and said quietly. "No, there'll never be another Hiccup."
Hiccup ducked his head to hide the sudden emotion. Gobber patted his shoulder, just as he had with Gustav earlier, and cleared his own throat. "So, have you had lunch already?"
"Yes, I just ate in the Hall with Dad."
"Well, there's no reason you can't keep me company while I eat, is there?" Gobber started towards the living quarters attached to the far side of the forge, motioning for Hiccup to accompany him. "I want to hear about your first morning as Assistant Chief."
"Well, mostly we were just adding up the food in the warehouses." Hiccup told him about their concerns with the additional dragons and the possibility of the extended fishing trip while Gobber fixed himself a meal.
"Ah, sometimes I miss going along on those sailing trips." Gobber reached for a metal canister and sprinkled a liberal amount of brown powder in a boiling tea kettle. He stirred it and then poured some into two mugs, handing one to Hiccup.
"You'll like this. It's a little something I picked up last time Johann was here."
Hiccup blew on the steaming liquid until it had cooled a little and then took a small sip. He and Gobber did not always have the same taste in drinks, but he did like this one.
"Hey, this is really good. What is it?"
"Something foreign. Never heard of it before. Think he called it go-go, or some such. No, cocoa, that was it," Gobber exclaimed. "Said it would warm you up in the winter, but I like it year-round."
They continued chatting while Gobber ate.
Hiccup helped him clean up and then said reluctantly, "I guess I better go. The Dragon Riders are training at two."
They left Gobber's kitchen and went back out to the forge proper.
"Well, just because you're Assistant Chief now, that doesn't mean you have to be a stranger around here," the blacksmith said. "Speaking o' that, come take a look here." He slung an arm about Hiccup's shoulders and led the way to an area in the back corner of the shop, closed off with a tattered curtain.
Hiccup laughed a little as he drew the curtain aside to reveal a small workroom with a desk covered in papers, pencils, and tools, its wooden walls barely visible behind the sheets of parchment drawn with designs of aqueducts, windmills, dragon saddles, and a portrait of a flying Night Fury.
"Don't worry, Gobber. I'll clear it out first thing tomorrow morning."
"You will not!" Gobber was surprisingly fierce. "This is your space. I've already told young Gustav that this is your workroom and it's off limits. So if you get one of your crazy fool ideas and need a place to work on it, you're always welcome here."
Hiccup swallowed hard and just nodded. His vision blurred slightly as he looked around at the small space. Once upon a time it had been his refuge from a harsh, unfriendly world-a safe place to escape the disapproval of his father, the mocking taunts of peers, and the disdainful judgment of the rest of the village. Sometimes he didn't think he would have survived the first fourteen years of his life without the forge and his own little workroom in particular.
Even in more recent times, it was still one of his favorite places to indulge his imagination and where he had managed to bring some of his wild dreams to fruition.
"Thanks, Gobber," he said quietly as they turned to leave.
The blacksmith nodded as well and answered gruffly. "Right then. I'll see you this evening."
Hiccup left the forge and climbed up the hill towards home. He wanted to change into his flight suit before flying practice. Toothless was stretched in the grass before the large house. He raised his head, yawning, as Hiccup knelt beside him and scratched behind the Fury's ear fins.
"Lazy dragon, have you been asleep all this time?" Hiccup teased.
/Of course not. I woke up to have lunch a while ago. I've been waiting for you./
"Well, let me change clothes and we'll head to the Arena."
Astrid and Stormfly were already there when Hiccup and Toothless arrived.
"I never can beat you here, can I?" Hiccup remarked, coming over to wrap an arm around Astrid and give her a kiss.
She kissed him back, and then smiled. "You know me, punctual to a fault."
"It's no fault. You're pretty close to perfect, milady," Hiccup said softly.
"Only pretty close?" But Astrid gave him an inviting look and Hiccup started to kiss her again, but they were interrupted by a loud gagging noise.
"Ugh, no mushy stuff!" Tuffnut called out as he, his sister, and their Zippleback strode inside.
Astrid rolled her eyes. "Grow up, Tuffnut."
"Yea, grow up, Tuffnut. It's time you became a responsible adult like me." Ruffnut shoved her twin to the ground.
"Oh, yea? I'll show you who's a responsible adult!" Tuffnut was back on his feet in a flash and the twins were promptly engulfed in a tangle of flying fists and long blond hair.
Hiccup was about to try to separate them when Barf and Belch snatched the twins apart, gave each one a little shake and set them back on their feet with some distance between them.
"Thanks, B and B!" Hiccup told the green and red Zippleback, who nodded back at him.
"Where's Snotlout?" Hiccup looked around for the remaining team members.
"Say no more. The Snotster is here!" Hookfang landed in the center of the ring, looking to the other dragons and rolling his eyes as his rider slid from his back and sauntered over to the other young people.
"Are there any other responsible adults on this team?" Astrid looked to the sky.
"I resent that," Snotlout remarked.
Fishlegs wandered slowly into the Arena, followed by Meatlug. The young man was scribbling notes on parchment as he meandered along, and muttering to himself. "Medium-sized Boulder Class, shot limit six..."
"Nice of you to join us, Fishlegs," Astrid said dryly.
Abruptly he stopped and looked around as if surprised to find himself in the Arena. "Oh, hey guys. I'm just taking notes on the Snafflefang. There are so many new types of dragons here now. It's going to take weeks to update the Book of Dragons."
Fishlegs sounded delighted at the prospect.
Hiccup decided that it was time to get the training session started. "Ok, now that everyone's here, Dad asked me to let you guys know that there is a good possibility the fleet will leave on an extended fishing trip in a couple days."
There was a buzz of excitement. All the Riders enjoyed accompanying the ships on their expeditions.
"And we're going along?" Astrid wanted to confirm.
"All right!" Ruff and Tuff slapped their palms together in a high five.
"Hooky and I have been wanting to do some more traveling," Snotlout commented contentedly.
Fishlegs was the only one who frowned. "Why now? It's a little late in the year for them to take off on a long trip."
"Because of all the new dragons here now," Hiccup sighed. "Dad and I were checking over our provisions for the winter and we've got plenty for the villagers and our dragons, but several hundred more came with Mom from her Sanctuary. There's not going to be enough food for all of us unless we can bring in a lot more fish."
Everyone immediately grew serious.
"I don't want to sound unwelcoming, but maybe some of the new dragons could spend the winter back at their Sanctuary?" Astrid asked.
"Maybe. I thought of that too," Hiccup agreed. "But I think they would want to stay together if it's at all possible."
"What would your mom do, if some of her dragons needed to go back?" She touched his arm.
Hiccup sighed. "I don't think she would split any of them up. She'd probably take all of them and return to the Sanctuary."
"And she would stay with them? You and your dad wouldn't like that," Ruffnut spoke with uncharacteristic softness.
"No, but if the Council decides it would be dangerous to send the fleet out, there may not be any other choice," Hiccup was quiet a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know what's going to happen yet. Dad's talking about it all with the Council tonight. We just wanted you guys to know the trip's a possibility. If it does happen, we would need to leave as soon as we can, so everyone can be prepared. Moving on, what skills do we need to work on? What were our weaknesses in the battle with Drago?"
"I'd say losing our dragons was a big one," Tuffnut pointed out.
There was a bit of half-hearted laughter at his candid tone, but everyone could easily remember the fear and devastation when Drago had taken over.
"Well, we know that Toothless would never do anything like that, but just in case we ever should come across someone else who can use mind-control over dragons," Hiccup's voice trailed off and he turned to the Riders' dragons standing behind them. "Is there anything more we could do that help you all if someone like Drago ever showed up again?"
Toothless spoke. /It's unlikely that another human like that would show up again. A greater concern would be if an unethical dragon challenged me as Alpha. Not that I would lose, but that would be more of a danger./
/No, it wouldn't./ Hookfang growled. /The rest of us would fight with you to the death. No one will ever control us like that again./
Toothless looked at him in surprise. He did not doubt Hookfang's loyalty. Though they had begun as rivals, the two dragons had become close friends over the past years. But it was not like the Nightmare to speak so openly about his feelings. But Hookfang's yellow eyes were filled with a fierce, haunted expression—an expression that was mirrored in every other dragon's eyes, and Toothless understood. They had all suffered that day.
The other dragons immediately assented with Hookfang, bowing to Toothless and then stepping closer to their humans and nuzzling them protectively.
For their part, the Riders all reached for their dragons, holding them close. For a long moment, they were all silent.
Then Hiccup cleared his throat. "Well, ok, moving on again. Why don't we spend some time practicing with the moving targets?"
"Good, I thought we were never going to get in the air." Tuffnut jumped onto Belch's neck while Ruffnut sprang onto Barf's. They took off with the other Dragons and Riders right behind them.
Several years earlier, Hiccup had set up a system of moving targets in a big field on the north side of Berk. At first, the targets simply slid along a rope, with pulleys and levers to adjust the speed, but the Riders had worked at making it more difficult, with adjustable heights and hidden targets that could spring out from behind boulders.
They each took a turn running through the course, individually at first, concentrating on speed and precision. The dragons shot flames at some of the targets (fire-proofed with dragon scales so they didn't have to be replaced after every session), while at other times the Riders took aim with axes, spears, and bows and arrows.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Hiccup and Toothless had the fastest times while Astrid and Stormfly had the best aim, but all of their results were similar. After years of practice, they were all very talented.
For the last hour, they flew the course together, working as a team, changing their formations and angles of attack. Naturally, their timing was slower, as they had to be careful to stay out of each other's way, but with every member of the group covering for one another, they were a deadly force weaving their way through a beautiful and complex dance.
When they finished, the team glided along the edge of the coastline back to the village in companionable silence. They were the Senior Dragon Riders of Berk and these six humans and five dragons had been through a lot together. They were more than just friends.
They were family.
Author's Notes: I'm sorry it took a little longer than usual to update. I was traveling out of town last week and didn't have time to write. Thanks for reading!
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