The plan orchestrated on that dreadful night came to reality the next month. Hiccup and Fishlegs were now going to be training with Gobber and the rest of the class one day of the week and on another day the pair would be training with Gothi and Thyra.
Hiccup still had yet to fly in his Smothering Smokebreath form, as he hadn't tried to transform into the dragon since the day he entered his Domain. The gray Smokebreath scale was still on his cheek as well.
Fishlegs was as excited as ever. He was one of the few people on Berk who liked to read and began researching any and everything he could about Soul Domains. There was a small library on Berk for those few who cared to learn about magics that weren't their own, located in the back of the Great Hall, but Gothi kept the good stuff in her hut, which is where the two Vikings were headed right now.
Her ground hut that is.
Gothi wasn't going to make two kids climb up the cliff to get to her sleeping spot. Not yet at least.
Her ground hut was built into the side of the Great Hall's mountain base and it was located on the path one would take to reach Mildew's cabbage fields.
Oh, gods. Hiccup was certain that he could smell the cabbage without his dragon senses constantly activated. Hopefully, the old healer wouldn't need him to go dragon. He'd probably die from the putrid odor.
"Today is the day Hiccup, today is the day!" Fishlegs squealed as they made their way up the path to Gothi's.
"Yes, yes it is Fishlegs." Hiccup said, happy at his friend's excitement at learning new things. It was a nice change from the dreariness a lot of the older Vikings came into whenever they were around Hiccup. Or was it disdain?
Fishlegs practically ran to the door to the hut, yet knocked softly three times.
Thyra, clearly expecting them, opened the door, and was dawned in her healer's uniform, which was essentially a beige sack that covered everything from the neck down with a large brown section that covered the torso. There was also a utility belt that was used to carry different tools and elixirs in case of emergency. The older teenager smiled down at the two friends and beckoned them inside.
Fishlegs was ready to burst at the seams and rushed through the front door as soon as Thyra stepped out of the way. Hiccup followed after and finally got a good look at the Chief healer's ground hut. Very few people were allowed in here. If someone was sick, they were usually treated in their own homes or the Great Hall.
It somehow looked bigger on the inside than it did on the outside.
Orange lighting encapsulated the quite large, stone room. Some shelves lined each of the walls, covered with various plants, and liquids used for healing. There are the bones and claws of different animals. Potions with magical properties. Caldrons and stirring sticks were used by Gothi's students. In the middle, four tables had different kinds of medical tools and clothes stashed underneath.
There were other people in here as well. Gothi and Thyra, obviously, but also two more apprenticed healers that Hiccup had seen tend to the sick and the injured after a raid. Alfred Erickson, who was tall, dark-haired, and stoic, as well as Henrik, an ex-Berserker who had defected to Berk after the last tussle between the tribes. He was quite the unit; a well-muscled, gray-haired, older man who was actually very sweet.
Both were working on different potions at the moment.
But they were here for Gothi. She was the authority on all things magic on the Island and Hiccup needed help and Fishlegs was training to be one of the people mixing potions and making medicine in the future.
It was an early start for the both of them, but Hiccup had access to an incredible power that he must learn to control and Fishlegs getting into healing early wouldn't hurt anybody.
The ancient woman was sitting in a large chair at the back of the hut, twiddling sticks in her fingers. Noticing the two boys walking into the room, she went ahead and scattered some sand and began her scribbling.
"Fishlegs will need to begin working on formulas for medicine and the properties they have." Thyra translated, "You'll be working with, me, as a starting point."
"Yes!" Fishlegs cheered. Lilies sprouted from his hair as he did a little happy dance. He was just excited to finally get started on doing what he was born to do. And Hiccup, of course, was to begin his training with Gothi.
Fishlegs had scurried off to one of the tables, with three books he had already brought from home, Thyra, giving him his first instructions on making medicine. A salve that was used to treat burns. Something incredibly useful in a place like Berk.
Hiccup, however, was to do something that was against his busy-bodied nature.
"Meditation."
He was meditating and being left alone with his thoughts. At least with Circle and Shoot, he got to move. But it wasn't like he had an option in the matter. Well, he probably did, but why disappoint his father any more than he usually did?
It was clear his father loved him, but the way he looked at Hiccup like he was a headless chicken whenever he did something out of the ordinary (or at least out of the ordinary for the average Viking) was a look that Hiccup didn't like seeing all that often.
It wasn't a scowl unless he did something that made a mess.
Like when Hiccup accidentally set the fences on fire when he thought that a large bird was a dragon and he freaked out. Or when Snotlout dropped a spider on his back and lit the front of the Jorgenson house on fire. Or when Dogsbreath dropped an eel onto his plate and he broke a table in the Great Hall trying to get away from it. Or when he worked on his first invention, a smaller version of the Netter trap, which had gotten tangled in his father's beard hair.
It was like these events caused a constant cringe on Stoick's face and Hiccup couldn't blame him.
Hiccup had to wipe that look off of his father's face and this 'Soul Domain' was another block in the path he had to trek to do so. He would wipe that look off of the faces of the rest of his family and the village as well.
So Hiccup would try.
Even if trying was boring.
Hiccup mediated once a week under the gaze of Gothi. He tried to meditate at home when he could. He tried to mediate when he needed a break from crafting the village's weapons at the forge.
He did as Gothi told him to do.
Envision the place he went to, but nothing has happened yet.
He even tried turning into the Smokebreath to get there, and all he did was sit in the dragon form for five minutes.
So Hiccup decided to try again. He was in the safety of his study at the forge. He didn't bring Fishlegs, because he would probably go on a rant about Domains again, and Hiccup could do without that.
He sat down on the dirt floor, crosses his legs, and closed his eyes. He also tried to clear his mind.
How does that even make any sense? Hiccup thought. You always think, so how are you supposed to clear your mind- Stop! He had to scold himself before he was off thinking about how much he didn't like this. He couldn't screw this up.
He tried to let the darkness consume him. But it just wouldn't. He could still hear the hustle and bustle of the everyday life of Berk. Vikings chatting amongst themselves as they did their chores. Songbirds and hoverflies buzzed and chirped about, the waves crashing against the cliffs as the fishing boats set out for the day.
Is this clearing my mind?
No. Hiccup answered.
He kept shaking himself out of it whenever he was close to getting in the grove. He had to learn to ignore himself. He opened his eyes. It was the same as when he'd closed them. He saw his desk, on the wall above, there were plans for different inventions. There were different drawings of different people he had seen around the village.
Maybe he could draw some more.
No, I have to concentrate.
He snapped his eyes shut again.
The hustle, bustle, chirping, buzzing, and crashing somehow got louder.
"Ugh!" Hiccup exclaimed out loud, shaking his hands and legs in frustration. "This will never work." Whined the young heir.
And he was suddenly at his desk. He would just draw for five minutes and then it was back to meditation. Drawing would make him feel better. Grabbing his charcoal stick from the bump on the end of the desk, he began scribbling on a piece of parchment.
What to draw?
Maybe he should just let his hand move on its own. The pencil began to leave random marks on the paper as Hiccup began thinking about what to bring to life on his paper.
Person? Sheep? Bird?
He started with a round shape, and then his hand guided him into making two more on the head. So it was a person. But who should it be?
Dad?
Strokes were made for his father's big, bushy beard.
Nah
Balling his sleeve up, he whipped the beard off and began again.
Old Wrinkly?
No, his grandfather's face was too angular in comparison to the drawing that was already too far gone. The same with Gobber.
Aunt Baggy?
His aunt's face was way boxier than the drawing he already had. So someone his age?
Fishlegs?
The boy in question was going through quite the growth spurt, and even though he spent all day with the boy, it probably wouldn't be that accurate.
Ruff or Tuff?
They had the same problem as Old Wrinkly and Gobber. Even though they were kids, their jaws poked out like they were half-horse. Based on their behavior, he probably wasn't that far off on how the two were conceived.
Snotlout?
Forget him.
Astrid?
Yeah.
It would be easy. She had a round enough face and the eyes were already the appropriate size for the drawing. Plus, she wasn't as grizzly faced as anyone else on the island. He started with her eyes, giving them as much detail as he could remember. Then her small nose and her very thin eyebrows. Then the bangs that she was growing out were beginning to cover her face. He didn't have any paint that he could use at the moment, so the paper would remain brownish-yellow.
It wasn't perfect, but it was Astrid.
She's really pretty. Hiccup smiled to himself at his work. Maybe he could use this drawing as a reference and draw her again. But he would do that later. Picking up the book and placing the parchment in the back pages, he went back over to his meditation spot.
That had to be way longer than five minutes.
But he was done now, so back to the meditation. Maybe activating his dragon senses would help?
Pointed ears and a more keen sense of smell made it worse. Obviously. Maybe he would draw his father.
Better than meditation anyways.
Why didn't he stop his Dad from agreeing to the meditation?
"Ugh."
It was exactly halfway through the summer, and that meant it was time for the Thawfest. Or as Hiccup and Fishlegs liked to call it, "The Jorgenson-fest." If a Jorgenson was competing, they were going to win. It happened every year without fail, Snotlout beat the dog shit out of everyone in most events. It had traced back to the beginning of the Jorgenson line, regardless of how incompetent that individual was.
They were the family that produced the second-largest number of juggernauts in the village. It was normally the Haddocks, but Hiccup's birth put a little bit of a dent in the family's reputation.
Today's Thawfest would only last for one day, but when the oldest of them turned fifteen, there would be more competitions and an additional day.
Snotlout usually blew them all out of the water. Every single year, but as they had all received formal training with their powers, they could use them this Thawfest.
"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!"
The chant that would be heard throughout the day had begun.
"Oh, man." Tuffnut groaned.
"Already?" Ruffnut rolled her eyes.
"You can bet your asses, already." Snotlout cackles out. He dawned his six Thawfest metals. It would've been eight, but he was constantly being held back from competing due to being too young to compete with Dogsbreath's age group.
"I'm gonna beat you," He pointed to the twins. They scoffed, of course, none of his insults did anything to either of them. The two would probably forget about what was said in the next few hours, minutes even.
"You," He pointed at the Ingerman. Fishlegs looked uncomfortable and disheartened, but this was business as usual. He still shuffled his feet and blushed, looking down at the ground in annoyance.
"You,"
Astrid wore a hardened glare but kept her composure. Snotlout constantly winning had been a thorn in her side since they were five. But it surprised no one on the island, the Hoffersons and Jorgensons had been at each other's throats for generations. Clansmen constantly beat their children over the head with prejudice against the other, the only two clans in which a union had never been made between.
Snotlout turned to his younger cousin, getting up in his face and peering down at him. "And I'm really gonna beat you."
The Haddock frowned. Hiccup was used to that at this point. Snotlout had been talking crap to and about him since they were even smaller children, but why was Snotlout so mean? Hiccup had done nothing to him. Well, nothing since the incident on the camping trip, but Hiccup had been sure to be extra nice since then.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that Snotlout," Astrid said. She stepped in between the two cousins, "This year, we all get to use our powers. So watch out."
Snotlout's face transformed from a wicked grin to a snarl. The teenager scooted off to do his warm-up stretches on the other side of the arena.
The flaxen-haired, girl stared after her rival and back to Hiccup. "Why do you let him talk to you like that?"
Hiccup looked down. He and Astrid were on good terms, even if they didn't talk as much as they used to when they were little. They were all friends when they were children, but then they stopped liking the same things. She enjoyed learning how to fight and wield weapons. He enjoyed exploring the island, drawing, and crafting.
They may not talk as much anymore, but Hiccup knew she didn't like it when people didn't stand up for themselves. One could say it made her sick to her stomach.
"He's just… like that, I guess." Hiccup answered, "It's not like I can take him in a fight."
Astrid looked at him like he was crazy. A fight is the first thing she would've gone for. Trading insults was one thing, but Hiccup didn't say anything back to Snotlout.
"Oh, I'd love to see that," Ruffnut said, cackling to her brother.
"Yeah, it would be quick, but entertaining," Tuffnut began, "Like watching a Terrible Terror fight a Monstrous Nightmare, and that's just the size difference."
The two smirked, looking from cousin to cousin, imagining the fight that would ensue if Hiccup was a little more confrontational.
"Well, I wouldn't let him say anything like that to me every day," Astrid said, crossing her arms and looking at Hiccup in an almost disappointed sort of way.
Hiccup shuffled uncomfortably. He wasn't her. He wanted to be like her though. Maybe he should talk back to Snotlout.
Looking over to where his cousin was stretching, he saw the scoreboard above him. All six of their paintings had been finished the day before and a Viking was prepared to paint the points in blue streaks. The crowd was piling in to watch the youngsters compete against one another, and they were getting restless.
Everyone was here, so they should be starting soon.
However, due to his attention-seeking tendencies, Snotlout sensed this as well and began to put on a show for the audience. Kicking his hands and feet into the stone of the arena, three pillars shot up out of the ground, each one higher than the other. Another shot up from where he was standing and he flipped from the lowest to the highest, getting a round of roars and applause from the audience.
The other five glowered as Snotlout ate the praise right up.
"That's a Jorgenson!" Spitielout shouted from the crowd. Their section was louder than anywhere else. "Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!"
Stoick strode into the arena, standing on the platform parallel to the entrance. He was excited as well, all of the children got to use their this year and he couldn't wait to watch.
The crowd began to cheer even louder.
"Let the Thawfest Games begin!"
If Hiccup wasn't used to this, he probably would've started bleeding from the ears.
Stoick opened a chest, releasing dozens of puffins into the sky.
"Oh, this is a nice day for a Thawfest, Aye Bucket?" Mulch spoke to the crowd through his horn.
"Aye Mulch!"
That meant that it was time for the contestants to get ready. The six kids lined up on the side of the arena where there was a yellow streak to represent the starting place. The first competition always dealt with animals in some way: the sheep lug, the chicken fights, and they even tried to do ram racing for one year.
As Bucket and Mulch continued their commentary, three Vikings started to assemble a large pen in the middle of the arena and lined a row of buckets with green, blue, yellow, brown, red, and white paint.
Gobber came over and painted the faces of each respective contestant with the corresponding color. Snotlout was brown, Ruffnut was yellow, Tuffnut was blue, Fishlegs was green, Astrid was white and Hiccup was red.
"Up first we have the Goat Grab. Our young Vikings will chase down thirty goats released from the Northern Pasture, bring them back to the arena and paint their color on it! The Viking with the most sheep wins!"
Another round of applause.
"That's not all folks. This year, the contestants get to use their magic!"
"Ah!" The loudest cheer since Dogsbreath had slain a Monstrous Nightmare rang out from the crowd. People were throwing their children in the air, stomping their feet, and banging their hands on the metal cage above the stone floor.
"Contestants! Ready!"
They kneeled, with both of their hands on the ground.
"Set!"
They each rose on both of their feet.
"Go!"
*Horn Honk*
A Viking in the Norther Pastures let the goats out due to the horn, and they rushed down, toward the village.
With his feet and hands on the ground, Snotlout made a pillar under his body to propel himself forward. Astrid took off right after him. She was quick, but she couldn't propel herself as he could, but she continued with intense determination.
The twins were after her and Fishlegs, scuttling after them.
Hiccup went halfling Terror as soon as he heard the word 'go' and he started flying over the others.
First out of the arena was Snotlout, the Hofferson following close behind, Hiccup catching up in the air, then the twins fighting after one another, with Fishlegs trailing behind everyone else.
For the crowd to follow the action, Bucket and Mulch were on a cliff overlooking the arena and continued to recount what was going on.
Snotlout continued to form different pillars to keep pushing himself closer to the escaped goats. This made him move faster, but it also made it harder for the contestants that couldn't fly.
The Jorgenson quickly made his way to the herd that was starting to separate as they rushed through the trees and to the village square. The ground shook as he landed and the boy was able to grab three of them in a single go. One under his right arm, a second in his left, and a third on his hunched back. He started jumping back into the arena with pillars he already made.
The twins began to cut down Snot's pillars with their plasma weapons. They were low enough to the point that they wouldn't destroy anyone's house, or kill anyone else, but the two probably weren't thinking about that.
Astrid made it to the herd next, but they wouldn't stop and were rushing down at full speed now. Her powers didn't work on living things, but she wasn't at a total loss. She surveyed her surroundings and saw a pick with a rope attached to it used for climbing and used her powers to float it to her. She opened the long rope to form a lasso, and she was able to take down one of the sheep that was closest to her. Rolling around the goat's body, she tied its legs together and it came falling. Astrid turned around and started her run back to the arena.
The herd parted into the village, scared by the pillars and the recent rope catch.
Hiccup was flying about six feet off of the ground, the highest he usually went, searching for a goat that wasn't that big.
*Baaaa*
Hiccup spotted a small animal that had gotten its horns stuck in the side of someone's hut.
Perfect
He flew behind the small animal and used his transformed feet, talons, and all. He latched onto its backside and pulled.
The twins had cornered one not far from him and were fighting over it. It was like they were both trying, but didn't want the other to try, quite embarrassing to see.
Hiccup beat his wings even faster.
*BOOM*
Snotlout was back already!
But, the pillar rising out of the ground shook the house. The goat shook out of the house, but Hiccup still had it in his feet. The front of its body dangling in the air, Hiccup was flying the goat back to the arena. Flying past the obstacles that Sntlout left in the way, he struggled his way through the gate, passing Astrid who was running out again.
His ears started to slowly ring from the roar of the crowd. He set the goat down, not letting it go, and grasped the paintbrush in his mouth, sloshing the back of the goat with red paint.
"One point for Hiccup! But look at this, Snotlout coming in with four more goats!"
Hiccup dodged out of the way of his cousin who was clearly planning on landing on him and flew back out of the arena.
Flying over the pillars, he saw Fishlegs trying to calmly coax one from under his porch, "Come on sweetie. It's ok, baaa, baaa."
Hiccup rolled his eyes. This is not the time.
He continues, searching for another sheep around the village. He tries to focus his dragon senses, but the smell of goat, a scent of dirty fur, mixed with fresh grass and droppings, is everywhere right now.
"Yeah!" Hiccup plopped on the ground in his Halfing Terror form, looked over, and saw Tuffnut riding one of the bigger goats.
Hearing a Loki-like cackle, Hiccup turn to see Ruffnut, who suddenly appeared at his side, "He's so easy." The girl twin said.
*Baaa*
Hiccup and Ruffnut looked in the direction where the sound was coming from. A small male goat with a completely white coat was walking in the village square, headed to the forge.
The dragon shifter and the weapon wielder stared at one another, right before bursting after the goat.
The goat, hearing the sudden shouts of the two children, started running in the opposite direction. Ruffnut took hold of Hiccup's tail and was trying to halt him from grabbing the livestock.
"Let me go." Hiccup grit through his teeth.
"Not a chance dragon-boy." Ruffnut says back, "Victory shall be mine!"
As the girl shouted, she began twirling, taking Hiccup with her. She was able to throw the small boy in the opposite direction of the goat and she began chasing on her own.
"Glory to Loki!"
Hiccup spun through the air and hit the ground. Man, she's strong.
Getting back up, Hiccup looked back to where Ruffnut was. She still hadn't caught the animal. Hiccup took off again but made sure to fly high enough so that she couldn't catch him. He flew over Astrid, who was headed back to the arena with two goats under her armpits. Fishlegs was still talking to the goat under the porch.
Hiccup was quickly gaining on the girl and the goat.
He was over Ruffnut.
The girl jumped in the air and dove after the goat. Hiccup swooped down to beat her to the catch.
They were both so close.
It's mine! Ruffnut insisted.
I got it! Hiccup thought.
A pillar suddenly rose right in front of them, but not before they could react. Ruffnut went left and Hiccup put his wings and feet up so that he could catch himself on the pillar.
"Later!" Snotlout taunted from above the pillar. He had taken the sheep, along with another three. He sped away, jumping from pillar to pillar once more.
This isn't over yet. Hiccup detached himself from the pillar and started to hover again. He saw that Ruffnut had sped over to her brother, pushed him off of the goat, and started her trek back to the arena.
Maybe he should get the same idea.
He looked over at his friend's porch. He was still crawling under, trying to coax the goat out.
"Sorry, Fishlegs." Hiccup whispered to himself. He flapped his wings and ended up right next to his friend.
"Oh, Hiccup, look at the poor little thing." Fishlegs pouted as he looked at the scared little animal, essentially letting hearts leak out of his eyes.
"Yeah." Hiccup said blankly. The dragon shifter quickly crawled under the Ingerman's porch. It was dark, wet, and filled with cobwebs. Despite the blond's protests, Hiccup got as close to the goat as he could.
"It's scared, leave the precious baby alone," Fishlegs whined.
*Baaa*
Hiccup kept creeping up on the tiny beast. This goat was smaller than the rest of them. It had shaggy, brown fur and barely had horns on its head. It was clear that it wasn't completely adult yet and Hiccup could feel his pupils growing wider.
This is why Fishlegs didn't try to rip it from under here.
This was the cutest little goat they had ever seen. Due to him shaking up the dust underneath the house, the baby goat sneezed.
Its name is probably Hiccup. The negative voice in the back of his head told him.
The reminder of why Hiccup had his name made all semblance of cuteness the animal had gone away. He wrapped his tail around the goat's back legs and started to drag it from under the porch. The goat started to struggle and whine in fear.
"Hiccup1 You're scaring it!" Fishlegs whined from outside. Hiccup had crawled his body out of the hole, still pulling the goat.
"Calm down Legs." Hiccup insisted, "It'll be fine."
Hiccup had no idea how wrong he could be at that moment. Somehow, the small animal was able to stand on its front feet and stamp on Hiccup's tail.
*Squeak*
A small stream of fire shot out of Hiccup's mouth, nearly scorching Fishlegs in the process, but he dove out of the way just in time for it to hit one of the pillars made by a certain brute and fade into nothingness. The kid ran up Hiccup's body and pushed the young boy into the dirt as it ran away.
"Ugh." Hiccup groaned, "Where the hell did that come from?"
"I warned you," Fishlegs said, still on the ground from his dive.
Snotlout won the first event with fifteen goats. Astrid trailed behind him with six. Ruffnut had two, Hiccup had one, and Tuffnut and Fishlegs trailed behind with none. The horned animals were being herded back to the Northern Pastures and the pen was removed, the paint was washed off of the contestant's faces and the next competition was ready.
The barrel targets.
Six of them in a row, about twenty-five feet away from the starting line.
"Next we have the axe throw."
This was done every year. They may not have been taught to fight yet, but they still knew how to throw weapons. It was a free for all, so no commentary. It was the fastest section of the Thawfest every year and was used as a time to get the next complicated event.
Ruffnut went first.
She uses her plasma weapons to coat the axe. She moved to throw the axe, but her brother had the same idea and threw his axe which was coated with his plasma weapon at the same time as she did.
But somehow, probably on purpose to cause a scene, the two threw their axes at the other's target, making them cross and collide in the air, causing an electric explosion of blue and yellow.
The Thorston clan shook their heads in disappointment at the two.
Fishlegs was next in line.
He actually attempted the task this time. There were blades of grass and weeds that grew in cracks in the arena. The grass was forced to rise and wrap around the axe. Using his hands like a conductor instructing an orchestra, he forced the blades of grass to throw the axe. However, the axe was thrown too early and the grass ripped, allowing the weapon to move far throw the air, but it missed the target and hit the barrel on the bottom.
Fishlegs looked down as the groans of the Ingerman fell down upon his ears.
Hiccup took the axe in his hand. It was comically bigger than he was.
He could feel his father staring at the back of his head from his throne.
A Terrible Terror would be too small, so he had to use the Smokebreath. He had been working on the Halfling Smokebreath in training.
The boy's body moved to get larger, gray, spindly wings jutting from under his arms. Vivid forest green turned to a sickly, yellow color. A horn sprouted out of his nose, then on his head, and traveled down his back, into a spindly, chain-like tail, and thick claws replaced dull, dirty fingernails.
Tail curled around the axe, Hiccup focused on the middle of the target.
Gripping his tail with his hands, Hiccup threw the axe with his hands and his tail. It sailed through the air, but came just short of the bottom barrel, skidding on the stone floor.
Hiccup's ears drooped down as he heard the disappointed sigh from his father. He could pick that out from anywhere. Not to mention the laughs that came from some of the other clansmen.
That was embarrassing.
He dragoned-down, turning back into an eleven-year-old.
Astrid was next. She quickly grabbed the axe with her mind powers and threw it with intense precision. The axe hit the middle of the target as if it was scared of what would happen to it if it didn't stick.
The Hofferson clan arose in cheers. Astrid gave a mighty shout, just as the rest of her clansmen did, proud of her success. She smirked over to Snotlout. A gesture that clearly said, "Beat that."
Snotlout growled like a wild animal.
The thirteen-year-old punched the ground and stone crawled up his body, covering his right arm and shoulder. Taking the axe in his stone-covered hand, he concentrated on the middle of the target.
The arena was dead silent.
He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.
Snotlout reared back, right leg going in the air, and launched.
The axe was quickly hurled through the air and struck the barrel right in the middle of the target, but that wasn't all. It split the object in half, making chunks of wood flying all over the arena.
"Yeah!"
Everyone started to cheer. Not just the Jorgenson clan. Even some Hofferons had to cheer at the sheer power that the boy packed.
"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" Spitelout and Baggybum cheered from the stands.
A second blue numeral was painted next to Snotlout's painting.
"Next up, we have Dodge Bag. Contestants will be given ten bags of paint to coat all of the other contestants with. The first person to hit all of their opponents wins!"
*Ding*
After the ding on Bucket's bucket, the new game had begun. There was a maze of barriers all over the stone of the arena. It looked like when trainees had to fight against an agile dragon, like a Deadly Nadder, but all of the maze walls were shorter, as it would be hard to see the children, only standing about six feet tall.
Each of them had the same color paint as earlier and they were wearing sac-like, beige clothes that looked like the Healer's medical suits, in place of their clothes, which would've been ruined by the event.
Hiccup had been avoiding everyone else for the past five minutes.
What to do?
Half-Terror activated, he crawled left into the maze, hoping not to run into anyone immediately. Satchel of paint bags dragging on the floor, he readied himself to see one of his agemates.
Hide and wait it out? No that would be more embarrassing than losing first.
He banked right.
Who to look for first?
He took another left and came to a halt. Concentration on the smells in the air was awful. Everyone was here. Their smells of sweat, bad breath, their expelled gases, and dirty hair, combined with nice-smelling perfumes, flowers, grass, and iron. It was confusing at first, but he had spent a large amount of time with his agemates and was able to pick them out.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut smelled like salted fish and they were closest. Why were they together?
When were they not together?
He took a left, then a right then went forward past three intersections in the barriers.
"I'll beat the blond off of your body!"
"Not before I rip your teeth out!"
Turning another corner, Hiccup saw that the twins were both covered in their respective paint colors, and a blotch of brown, which meant Snotlout had already gotten the two. Ruffnut was stuck in her brother's headlock, clawing at his arm and attempting to kick him off.
Are they serious?
No, they weren't.
Hiccup reached into his satchel and readied his bags. Two red blotches appeared on the twin's bodies, adding to the yellow and blue array on their bodies. Not waiting on their reactions, Hiccup turned around and sped away on all fours.
"GAH!"
That was Astrid.
Peering back, Astrid had pelted the twins in her white paint and she spotted the dragon shifter running away as well. A bag was hurdling toward his back but Hiccup was quick to react. He jumped to the right into another section of the maze, tripping over his own feet as he landed.
Scurrying up on his feet, he got out another bag of paint and was waiting on Astrid to find him. The girl turned the corner, and Hiccup threw it.
Astrid caught it with mind powers and squashed it on the wall, "Not so fast Haddock."
*Gulp*
The blond girl brought down her bag onto the Hope and Heir of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe, covering his clothes in white paint. She took off without a second thought, looking for the last two on her list.
Hiccup took note of what was left in his satchel. He had used three and two of them had been crushed by the fall.
Shit!
He focused his smelling again. Fishlegs smelled of some random metal when he would sweat, and if Hiccup knew Fishlegs, he was definitely sweating right now. Searching for the smell in the quite loud array of them, he could pick out the smell of coins, mixed with the sweetest of spring flowers.
He ran, his nose telling him to go right, then to take a left, then another right. But that decision brought him to a dead end.
Crap!
Turning around, the shifter took a left, then took a right. He ran down the corridor made from the barriers and took the only option the walls gave way to, a left.
"Ah!"
Hiccup heard Fishlegs' very recognizable scream.
"Oh, I'm sorry Fishface." A very mocking tone called.
Snotlout?!
Hiccup heard the squirt of a paint bag clashing with someone's body, as well as a burst of familiar, devious laughter. Quickly going into his satchel for his paint, Hiccup put his back to the barrier closest to him. Focusing on his hearing, he heard Snotlout's panting and footsteps move, and they were getting louder. Looking to the left, Hiccup saw that the only way Snotlout could be going would be toward him.
He took off in the opposite direction.
Snotlout had gotten everyone except for Hiccup and Astrid, and it would be better to knock out the little runt before going after the genuine competition. Getting the blonde would be hard. She had the perfect ability for this and she was probably looking for him as well and if she won, good things wouldn't be coming his way.
He'd remembered the previous Thawfest, where Astrid had scored two points in the knife throwing and swimming events. The look on Spitelout's face was enough to scare the scales off of a Gronckle.
'No Jorgenson has ever lost the Thawfest. If you're the first, you might not be afterward.'
A threat that gave him nightmares and he hoped was empty. Snotlout vowed never to even come close to losing a Thawfest after that.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he ran down the corridor after pelting Fishlegs. Hiccup was small and could be anywhere at this point. Not to mention how fast he was. Snotlout would never admit it to anyone, not even himself, but Hiccup's speed was something to envy. And because of that envy, Snotlout would trip Hiccup whenever he felt it was needed.
The men in the Jorgenson clan had to be in the best physical condition on the island, never admitting defeat in any category. Tripping Hiccup would probably slow him down in the long run from the constant falls.
'Do anything to stay on top.' Advice from his father.
Snotlout used it as a way to toughen Hiccup up as well. Hiccup would probably grow over time, but some people still expected him to die every Devastating Winter. He was weak but Snotlout was doing his best to curb that.
Spitelout trained Snotlout with his metal fists to toughen him up, so this little teasing that Snotlout gave Hiccup was nothing.
He'd never beat Hiccup to a pulp, but the occasional trip, shove, and smack didn't hurt. Snotlout didn't see the problem with constant taunts either. As long as he didn't make fun of his dead aunt, he'd learned that lesson long ago.
But right now, Hiccup had to be taken down and over the cheers of the crowd, Snotlout could hear the scampering of his cousin's clawed feet hitting the stone floor.
Rounding another corner, he spotted a reddish-green tail turning at an intersection. Snotlout lifted the stones under his feet and propelled himself forward.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
He rounded the corner, making his way through a break in the barriers, seeing Hiccup stare at a dead end. Snotlout quickly readied his paint bag.
The smaller boy turned around. Hiccup had surely heard Snotlout coming for him. His paint bag being ready showed that.
Snotlout's brown bag splattered over Hiccup's body, but Snotlout was able to dodge his cousin's attempt at getting a point.
I've gotten everyone except her.
The Jorgenson immediately moved from Hiccup to Astrid. Fishlegs hadn't been hit yet when he got to the boy, but he knew Astrid would have moved to them by now, and he saw the white mark on Hiccup's body. Fishlegs also gave away his location, so the vicious girl should be on her way.
"Ah!"
Another squeal from the plant grower.
Snotlout watched as large weeds grew out of the ground, probably shielding Fishlegs from Astrid's paint. The girl ripped them apart, only for Fishlegs to grow more, tangled her in a row of vines.
He had done the same thing to Snotlout, but Snotlout's rocks were able to tear right through them.
The blond boy ran with a surprising quickness as Astrid ripped her way out of his protective barrier. She plopped down on the ground and started to chase after him, Snotlout after her and Hiccup after him.
Hiccup had no one to hide from now. The twins had used up all of their paint, Fishlegs was running away, and Astrid and Snotlout had already gotten him. Nothing was stopping him from taking to the sky. He grew his red wings and tail, his satchel dangled from his neck.
"Ah!"
Fishlegs let out a scream every three seconds.
He grew weeds from the cracks in the ground and manipulated them in order to swing around a corridor. Astrid was going so fast that when she turned the corner she had to kick herself off the wall. Luckily, Fishlegs had run down a long, dead-end and Astrid threw the paint with all of her might, controlling it with her powers.
Fishlegs tried to jump over the barrier but failed and was pelted.
"Oh come on," Fishlegs whined.
The girl smirked.
Only Snotlout is left. And he's right behind me.
Astrid had been aware of her surroundings when she attacked Fishlegs. The boy screamed at everything and considering the reaction when Snotlout appeared, Astrid giving Fishlegs an angry face would make him piss his pants. But she didn't expect him to bound away as quickly as he did, but she got the job done.
"Hah!"
As if on cue, Snotlout gave a mighty battle cry. He barreled after her, jumping from a stone pillar. He threw one of his bags at the girl, but she caught it with her powers and smashed it on the ground of the arena.
He growled at Astrid as she jumped back.
"Gah!"
Out of his peripheral vision, Snotlout saw a blur of red, green, and beige. He quickly went to raise a pillar, but not before Hiccup was able to pelt him in the face with his red bag.
"Yeah!" Hiccup shouted as he flew away.
Snotlout sneered as Hiccup flew down towards Astrid.
The Hofferson gave a confused, "Huh?!" as she saw Hiccup appear. He was headed to her now!?
Not a chance.
Astrid waited for Hiccup to reach into his satchel and grab his paint while keeping an eye on Snotlout. She had to be ready to reach for either of them. She would take down both of their families name's, bringing honor to the Hoffersons.
The girl was even more confused when Hiccup flew right past her and flew to Fishlegs, who had started running away once Snotlout's pillar broke down a barrier.
Because of this, Astrid turned her focus back on the older cousin.
It's a waste of time to go after Astrid.
Hiccup started to fly after his friend. If Hiccup got to Fishlegs before Snotlout or Astrid got one another, he might have a chance at winning. Fishlegs hadn't turned around yet, he had seen his chance to get out of that situation and he had taken it. He wasn't even trying to win anymore, he just didn't want to get injured from the fight that would occur.
Hiccup swoops down, trying to catch up to his friend. Fishlegs' small legs helped him move annoyingly fast. He transformed, his wings disappearing and his hands gaining claws instead. He shot from one point to another on the stone floor with the quickness of a Terrible Terror, catching up to Fishlegs much faster.
Hearing the dragon boy dash from point to point, Fishlegs turned around, squealing as he saw his friend, slit eyes and all, jumping after him. He summoned more weeds from the ground, trapping Hiccup's body in them.
Shit!
Hiccup thrashed in his prison. Growling as he realized there was only one way to get out of this. A place he wasn't willing to go. Fire. The fire made people look down on him. The fire he had to train so that he wouldn't hurt anyone. He vowed to try as hard as he could, but using fire wasn't needed. It was just a game.
So he wouldn't use it.
"Oh," Fishlegs said as Hiccup continued to struggle in the weeds. Fishlegs knew he wasn't going to win, but he would at least get some points.
Hiccup cringed as he felt the green paint bag burst on his uniform.
"Sorry." Fishlegs giggled out, proud of himself for tagging someone.
"No problem Legs." Hiccup deadpanned, still stuck in the weeds. "Are you gonna get me out of here?"
We're geniuses. Ruffnut thought, completely covered in blue and yellow paint. But not all the blue and yellow paint. The two had used some of their paint bags early in the competition to mess with everyone else. But they had saved four bags. One for each of the other players.
They were both watching Fishlegs as he started unwrapping Hiccup from his weeds. Ruffnut from the left, Tuffnut from the right. She peered over the barrier, looking to make eye contact with her brother. He was staring right at her and they both nodded.
They both jumped from behind the barrier, each with a single bag in hand.
"In the name of Loki!"
"For the nutt!"
As Fishlegs helped Hiccup out. Ruffnut threw a yellow bag at Fishlegs and Tuffnut threw a blue bag at Hiccup.
"Ah!" The squealing was getting old.
The twins landed, grinning at their success.
"The Nutt has done what was needed!" Tuffnut shouted, banging helmets with his twins. The two began a happy dance, "Oh, uh, uh, oh, oh, oh."
"And we still have two bags for Snotlout and Astrid!"
The two shook out of their celebration and left the two bookworms, going into the fight after Snotlout and Astrid. Both yelled out as they activated their plasma weapons.
Hiccup and Fishlegs stared after the siblings, watching in confusion and amusement. Hiccup, finally out of his prison. "So, they both only have one right?" Fishlegs asked.
"Yep."
"Meaning they can't win at all, right?"
"Mhm."
"We're done fighting right?"
"Yeah, I was getting tired of it anyway." Hiccup says.
"Thank the gods, 'cause I am not rushing into that," Fishlegs pointed to the fury that Snotlout and Astrid were causing with their powers, "Can you believe they're acting like this over a game that we don't even need to participate in? I couldn't even begin-"
*Splurt*
"Hiccup!" Fishlegs shrieked a red bag was squished against his shoulder. He looked over to his friend who looked, somewhat, ashamed of himself. "I thought we had a truce?!"
"Sorry!" Hiccup said. He started to run in the direction of the fight. Fishlegs frowned as his friend ran away. Luckily, Hiccup had jumped over Fishlegs' weeds again. The Ingerman made his vines rise and capture his friend's transforming body.
"Oh, come on." Hiccup complained as he started to struggle again.
Snotlout was sending medium-sized rocks at Astrid, but she kept catching them with her power and throwing them out of the way. She was also throwing barriers at him, but he rose the ground of the arena to block her attacks.
Astrid jumped to the side, dodging the section of stone he lifted and began to send a paint bag his way. He was too quick and rose a boulder from the ground to shield himself. He rose another pillar high in the air, jumping off the back and landing behind the barriers.
Cheers were ringing about, excited from the constant action.
Astrid was running over the rubble that Snotlout had caused, three paint bags floating around her head. I'll win!
She growled as she came upon a barrier. They weren't needed anymore. Hiding was useless at this point. Ripping a hole in it, she continued on her way to the earth mover.
Another pillar rising, Snotlout took a section of the rocks, crafting a makeshift shield in the process. He could split it apart for constant defense. He shot off of his pillar intending to land on Astrid, paint bag in hand.
Got her.
Astrid was panicking. She couldn't lose again. Surveying her surroundings again, she saw nothing that could be of her aid. Only broken pieces of barriers and small pieces of rock. Snotlout was descending fast. The teenager looked quite psychotic as Hiccup's red paint stained his face. She had to do something now.
Chains in the ceiling.
Loose goat fur.
Broken rocks.
Broken boards.
Broken boards….
Snotlout through the paint bag, thinking Astrid had nowhere to go.
Astrid used her powers on one of the boards that had fallen and used it to transfer her body away, a brown paint splatter taking her place.
The arena erupted into cheers.
Astrid used a board to launch herself under Snotlout and behind his stone structures, maneuvering left and right. She came to a skid as she stopped her board, making sure to not slam into another barrier.
Snotlout growled once more.
What is it gonna take to catch this girl?
He placed his hands on the ground and his stone pillars lowered down into the ground, but there was still rock rubble all over the place. It gave Snotlout a clear view of Astrid, who was picking herself up off the ground. Her board was discarded and she wore a horrid sneer on her face.
The two aspiring warriors came to a standoff.
I can't lose.
I'm going to win.
Slowly, Astrid got out one of her paint bags and Snotlout did the same. They two stared one another down, both unflinching.
The two came to a silent agreement as they started making their way to one another. Both with their bags ready to pelt the other and win this year's Thawfest games. The crowd's cheering hadn't gone away, but most were too focused on the two to yell as loud as they normally would.
The noise began to pick up again as Astrid picked up steam and started giving a war cry.
Snotlout did the same.
They were twenty feet away.
The crowd was going wild with anticipation.
Ten feet.
Spitelout wore a hardened glare on his face. Snotlout better win. He couldn't have his family's reputation fall down the drain, especially by a Hofferson.
The two jumped. Astrid with her other hand ready to catch the brown bag. Snotlout with a shield of rock to block the white.
" Coming in hot-"
"-And blowing out snot!"
Snotlout and Astrid's attention was taken off of one another. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were each taking on one of them. Ruffnut, coming from the right, pelts Astrid, and Tuffnut coming from the left, hits Snotlout.
"Yeah!"
"We win!"
The twins had begun to dance again, not comprehending that neither of them was successful at winning this year's competition.
"GAH! Ruff!"
Ruffnut had pelted Astrid in the face. The paint was stinging her eyes and she started to wipe and wipe the substance away.
Her vision was compromised, and Snotlout had noticed. The boy placed his hands on the floor and launched himself at Astrid, one last time.
"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi! AH!"
A brown patch splattered on Astrid's outfit.
"And Snotlout once again wins the Thawfest games for the Jorgensons!" Mulch rang about, banging his hook hand on Bucket's bucket. The crowd was going insane for the fourth time. It was an amazing fight and all of the contestants were so young. What would happen when they were older? What would happen when it was time for them to kill their first dragons? How spectacular would that appear? How did the Jorgeonsons manage to win again?
All these questions circulated through the minds of the cheering Berkians, looking at the generation that would soon defend their island.
"What do you mean Snotlout wins?" The twins asked, confused by the revelation.
"Damnit," Astrid growled to herself as she watched Snotlout start running laps around the arena. She had lost again.
"Another year, another medal that I didn't win." Hiccup said under his breath. It was disappointing, but not unexpected. Snotlout was the best in their age group at the moment. Not to mention the age advantage. He was the best this year and it would probably be the same next year if none of them got picked off by a dragon over the next twelve months that is.
Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD, these mfs are not my property. I am not affiliated with Dreamworks.
Happy New Year fanfic enjoyers. Even though we're seventeen days into January. Here's a little Thawfest Chapter. At chapter ten or so, the story should stop these random jumps in space and time. I hope you liked it, it was pretty fun to write.
Urbanator- I made it up out of nowhere, lol. I don't even know at this point.
Silverleone- Possibly *devious grinch smile*
