"Dragon's speaking"
'telepathical speaking'
Thinking
Spells
"Dragons and Guardians: Riders of Berk
Author's note: Remember readers, Hiccup rides on Toothless's back while Aniu flies using her wings. And Barf and Belch is one dragon. Nava and the other guardians also fly while their wings and Nava and Aniu don't have dragons but they're still part of the Dragon Trainers. This note is here just to avoid confusion.
Right now the Dragon Trainer Group consists of: Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, Stormfly, Snotlout, Hookfang, Fishlegs, Meatlug, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, BarfBelch, Aniu and Nava.
Chapter 7: How to Pick Your Dragon
A few days after the Outcast attack, a group of Vikings pulled a half-destroyed ship into the docks.
"Here on Berk, we've always done things one way: the Viking way."
Stoick leapt off the half-destroyed ship and helped his men pull it onto the beach.
"Since the dragons came, the Viking way has become the hard way. Unfortunately, some people, like my father, still refuse to change."
Toothless and Aniu flew down to the docks and landed. Hiccup hopped off Toothless's back and walked up to his father. Fengo and Namara were standing by, watching them. "It's that rogue dragon again." Gobber said. "That's the second boat this week he's destroyed."
Hiccup, Aniu and Toothless glanced at each other. "Well, we lost another whole catch. We could've saved it if we had gotten there sooner." Stoick said. "Well, I know how you could've gotten there sooner." Hiccup said. "Here we go again." Stoick groaned. Ever since they Outcasts had attacked, Hiccup had been begging him to get a dragon of his own.
"If you had flown there on a dragon, you could've been there in five minutes instead of two hours and you might have been able to chase that dragon away for good or found out why he's been attacking fishing boats." Aniu said. "As the chief of Berk, I do things the Viking way. Not the dragon way." Stoick told her.
"Well, the Viking way is costing us a lot of fish and almost as many boats." Hiccup said. "The boy's got a point. If you were on a dragon, you could protect this island from a lot of things, even Alvin." Gobber said. "Right. You could use a dragon to..." Hiccup said but he was interrupted by his father. "You're right, Gobber. Alvin knows we have dragons. He'll be back." Stoick said.
"You saw what those dragons did." Fengo said. "They had Alvin on the run." Namara told him. "Imagine if you were the one commanding them." Gobber said. "I'm listening." Stoick said. "But clearly not to me." Hiccup grumbled. "Or me." Aniu muttered. Hiccup put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Fengo and Namara looked at each other with smiles on their faces. Hiccup and Aniu were so protective and cared a lot about each other. "I can see it now. A proud chief ruling his domain aboard a fearsome, fire-breathing reptile. Ooh, gives me goosebumps just thinking about it." Gobber said grandly. "That's what Aniu and I have been trying to..." Hiccup began but his father interrupted him. "Gobber's right." Stoick said, turning to Hiccup and Aniu. "I need to get my own dragon. When do we start?"
"Well, obviously, you need to learn how to ride them while they fly." Aniu said. "I don't know. Shouldn't we ask Gobber?" Hiccup said. "Eh, I don't really have a preference, but sooner is always better, don't you think?" Gobber said. Hiccup stared at the two Vikings in disbelief while Aniu facepalmed and hoped that nothing would go wrong.
Sometime later, Hiccup, Toothless, Aniu, Stoick, Fengo and Namara stood on a sea stack connected by a bridge to the Dragon Training Academy. "All right, I made a new stirrup so you'll be able to control Toothless's tailfin." Hiccup said, kneeling beside his Night Fury and tinkering with a modified stirrup. "You hear that?" Stoick asked, pointing at Toothless."It's me who's supposed to be controlling you."
Toothless stared at him. "That's not how forming a bond with a dragon works, Stoick." Namara said. "Dragons don't like being controlled." Fengo said seriously. "Whoa, whoa, Dad. Before you get on a dragon, you gotta show him that he can trust you." Hiccup said, standing up. "He already trusts me. I'm his chief." Stoick said confidently. "That's not what he meant. A dragon won't just trust someone because they are a chief or some other kind of a leader." Aniu said.
"Uh, it's very simple. Just give me your hand." Hiccup said, deciding to get this over and done with. "I didn't come here to hold hands, Hiccup." Stoick said, annoyed. Hiccup grabbed his father's hand anyway and held it in front of Toothless. "It's okay, bud." Hiccup said gently. The Night Fury gently pressed his snout against Stoick's outstretched hand.
"You feel that?" Aniu asked hopefully. 'Yeah, still dry and scaly." Stoick said, taking his hand away. "Stoick still sometimes ignores the little things." Fengo sighed. "That's not what I meant." Hiccup said in disappointment. "Can I get on him now?" Stoick asked impatiently. Hiccup and Aniu smiled and gestured to Toothless. "All right, let's get on with this madness." Stoick grumbled once he and his son were sitting on Toothless's back.
Toothless grunted at their combined weight. He was completely used to Hiccup's weight but Stoick was just plain heavy. "We'll start out nice and slowly." Hiccup instructed. "Just give him a little nudge when you want to..." But instead of Stoick giving Toothless a gentle nudge, he kicked the black dragon in the side. Toothless yelped in alarm and shot up into the sky. Fengo, Namara and Aniu quickly followed. "Let's hope nothing bad happens." Namara said as she flapped her black, yellow, golden and white wings quickly to keep up with the Night Fury and his riders. "Stoick's is just too stubborn to listen properly sometimes." Fengo said, using his black, brown and white wings to fly up into the sky. "I'll be surprised when Stoick actually does listen." Aniu said, her black, brown, gold, blonde and white wings flapping as she flew beside her parents.
"I SAID NUDGE!" Hiccup screamed over the wind. "That was my nudge!" Stoick yelled. Toothless suddenly dived downwards. "Just remember, the tail controls everything." Hiccup reminded his father. "I know that." Stoick muttered. "Then why are you heading for that rock?" Hiccup asked when he noticed that they were straight at a sea stack rising out of the ocean.
"Because you're distracting me." Stoick growled. "Just let out the...!" Hiccup nearly panicked. "Tail! I know!" Stoick snapped, adjusting Toothless's prosthetic tailfin just in time. Toothless flew up, over the sea stack and down again.
"Why do I have a feeling that this is going to end well?" Fengo wondered out loud as Hiccup had to keep correcting his father whenever Stoick made a mistake. "Left! Left! No, the other left!" Hiccup yelled. "Dragon's fault." Stoick defended himself. "You're gonna blame that on the dragon too, Dad?" Hiccup asked after they nearly crashed into a sea stack. "Yep." Stoick said simply.
"Slow down!" Hiccup screamed. "I'm trying!" Stoick yelled, barely adjusting Toothless's prosthetic tailfin so that the Night Fury levelled himself out with his wings skimming the water. "See?" Stoick asked his son smugly. "Actually, no. I had my eyes closed." Hiccup said, leaning his face against his father's back.
Then the three noticed they were flying at a small beach on a small island. "You're coming into hard. Open the tailfin with your foot." Hiccup instructed once he noticed their predicament. "I'm opening the tailfin." Stoick snapped. "That's my leg, Dad." Hiccup told him. Because of the speed of their descent towards the beach, Toothless crash-landed, accidently throwing Hiccup and Stoick off him. The three yelped (or in Stoick's case) grunted in pain as they bounced across the ground.
Hiccup groaned and slowly rolled over onto his stomach and saw Toothless slowly staggering over to him. "I am so sorry." The boy whispered to his best dragon friend. Toothless growled and glared at him with a 'how could you do this to me' expression. Aniu and her parents landed and Aniu ran over to Hiccup. "Are you okay?" She asked, helping him up. "Yeah, I'm okay.' Hiccup said, dusting himself off.
Stoick got up, groaned and began walking away. "Dad, what are you doing?" Hiccup asked. "I'm done with this, Hiccup." Stoick growled. "I got a village to look after." He stopped when came face-to-face with a sheer rock wall and no visible way to get past it. "I'll need a ride home." Stoick sighed.
Moments later, Hiccup and Stoick were on Toothless's back (with Hiccup in front) and flying through the sky with Aniu, Fengo and Namara following them. Stoick noticed they weren't flying back to Berk and were going somewhere else entirely. "This isn't the way home.' He said grumpily. Toothless flew upwards, followed by the three guardians. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride. We are taking the scenic route." Hiccup announced. "Right now, my lunch is taking the scenic route into my throat." Stoick said.
Toothless, Aniu, Fengo and Namara flew past some cliffs while the two Vikings continued their conversation on Toothless's back. "Dad, just think about how much easier your chiefing will be on the back of a dragon." Hiccup said. "Just think about it, Stoick." Aniu said. "You'll be amazed at how much easier it is." Namara said. "It'll take most of the workload off your shoulders and leave you with less headaches and stress." Fengo said. "Well, I prefer to be down on the ground... wait, what's going on over there?" Stoick asked, looking down at the ground.
The other five followed his gaze and saw a paddock full of yak who were lying on their sides. They were mooing loudly for help and not getting up again. "Some genius has been yak-tipping again." Stoick grumbled. "Silent Sven isn't going to be happy." Namara sighed, flicking her golden hair over her shoulder to get it out of her face. Toothless, Aniu, Fengo and Namara flew down for a closer look then spotted two certain twin Vikings running around and hiding behind a cart. The Night Fury smirked then fired a plasma blast, blowing the cart up.
"Be quiet." Tuffnut Thorston whispered to his sister Ruffnut, thinking they hadn't been seen and that Toothless blew up the cart just for fun. "Maybe they don't see us." Ruffnut nodded in agreement. Stoick saw them and sighed. "Make that geniuses." He grumbled before raising his voice so the two trouble-makers way below could hear. "I want every one of those yaks back on its feet!" The Thorston twins stared up at them in shock. Seeing their chief on the back of a dragon wasn't something they saw every day.
"Nice chiefing, Dad. Let's see what else we can get done today." Hiccup congratulated. "He had a little help from me of course." Toothless added proudly. Only Aniu and her parents could understand him and the three of them chuckled. They came across three boars eating cabbages in Mildew's cabbage field. Of course, Mildew being, well, Mildew would try to blame this on the dragons again. Apparently, the verbal tongue-lashing Aniu gave him (that happened in chapter 5: In Dragons We Trust)wasn't enough and so Mildew continued his anti-dragon tirade. "Toothless, fire." Hiccup ordered. The Night Fury fired a plasma blast which landed in between the three boars, causing them to squeal and run away.
"Fire again, dragon." Stoick ordered. "Why?" Toothless asked. "Dad, the boars are gone." Hiccup said. "Who cares? I like the sound it makes." Stoick said. "Take us up, bud." Hiccup said to his dragon then turned to his father. "There's something else I want you to see." Once they were up above the clouds, Stoick stared in amazement and awe at what he saw high up in the sky. Shooting stars streaked across the atmosphere and the clouds were orange and pink with the light of the setting sun. Then, when he saw Berk, the chief was even more amazed. "Whoa, I spent my entire life on Berk. Climbed its mountains and hills, explored its forests, swam its waters. I travelled to every part of the island that I could but I never thought I'd see it like this." Stoick said, awestruck.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Hiccup asked softly. "No, it's more than that, Hiccup. Look at them." Stoick gestured to the village. "All of my people. Everyone is safe. It's a good feeling." Aniu flew up beside them. "I always feel a strong sense of freedom, excitement and joy whenever I fly." She said gently, smiling.
"You should see Berk from this high up at night time. It's just as spectacular." Aniu said. Then before she could stop herself, she added. "The first time Hiccup and I ever saw the night time view was when we went out on an unintentional romantic flight with Astrid and Nava the night before the ..arena disaster." Aniu then decided to fly with her parents and give Stoick and Hiccup some bonding time. "So, you and Astrid are getting pretty close, aren't yah?" Stoick asked his son. Hiccup blushed. "Well, we are taking our relationship rather slowly and don't want to rush into it, if that's what you mean. We usually hang out with Aniu, Nava, Toothless and Stormfly so that doesn't really classify as romantic. We're just best friends most of the time." Hiccup said. Stoick nodded and decided to leave it at that.
Meanwhile, Aniu was having a similar conversation with her parents. "So, you and Nava are getting closer and closer over time, aren't you?" Namara asked. Aniu blushed. "Well, we've been best friends since we were very young, haven't we?" She said. "I remember the time when you and Nava got lost in the forest and were chased by a pack of wild boars then saved by a Monstrous Nightmare who let you stay the night in his cave with his family. He said you and Nava slept curled around each other in your wolf forms. And the time when a series of thunderstorms were happening while your mother and I were on a trip. You said you spent an entire night awake because you couldn't go to sleep and were completely exhausted the next day. Nava noticed this and decided to help you out by sleeping beside you. It took a few nights until you were able to fall asleep all by yourself when there was a thunderstorm happening." Fengo said. Aniu smiled. "He said he used to sleep between his parents whenever there was a thunderstorm happening when he was young and when he was older, the thunderstorms never kept him awake anymore."Namara said.
Once they were done with their conversations, Hiccup, Stoick, Toothless, Aniu, Fengo and Namara flew back home.
Early next morning, Toothless flew over Berk. But his rider was not the one a person would expect it to be. In his room, Hiccup woke up, yawned and got out of bed. A bit surprised that Toothless didn't wake him up as he usually did basically every morning, Hiccup looked at his Night Fury's bed only to see that it empty. Aniu told him that Toothless sometimes took walks around the house, surrounding forest or village whenever he couldn't get to sleep but he was always back before dawn. Mildew most certainly didn't need to know that little piece of information. Who knew what he'll try to blame Toothless (and mostly likely the other dragons) with next? "Toothless?" He called. When he received no answer, he got up and gently threw a small pebble through Aniu's bedroom window.
There was a clatter as the pebble hit the wooden floor and seconds later, Aniu stuck her head out of her window. "What's wrong?" She asked tiredly. "Toothless is gone. I woke up and his bed was empty." Hiccup told her. "I'll meet you outside. Hopefully, he's just gone for a walk and didn't realize the time." Aniu said, leaving her window. Hiccup left his window, ran downstairs, opened the door and ran outside. When he and Aniu were outside, they were greeted by a surprising sight. Namely, Stoick riding on Toothless's back as the Night Fury flew around Berk.
"Dad?!"/ "Stoick?!" Hiccup and Aniu exclaimed in surprise. Toothless clumsily kept hitting roof tops with his wings, tail or paws as Stoick tried to control his tailfin. Astrid, Nava and Fishlegs were walking back to their houses, carrying buckets of water and looked up in surprise when they saw their chief riding Hiccup's Night Fury. "Is that...?" Astrid started to ask in shock. "Unexpected? Disturbing?" Fishlegs asked. "Something you don't see every day?" Nava supplied. "Yep." Astrid muttered.
After hitting a few more roof tops by accident, Toothless landed in front of his rider and Aniu, letting Stoick dismount him. "Uh, Dad. What are you doing with my dragon?" Hiccup asked. "Kicking butt and taking names, that's what." Stoick exclaimed happily. "Uh, on Toothless?" Hiccup asked, gesturing to his Night Fury. "Help me." Toothless pleaded. Aniu sent him a sympathetic look. 'Stoick must be pretty heavy if you're acting like this.' Aniu said mentally. "You have no idea." Toothless groaned. "Oh, we've all over Berk. Chiefing has never been so easy." Stoick said. "Yeah, but Dad. Toothless is my dragon." Hiccup said.
"You picked a good one. Just came back to get my hatchet. We're helping Spitelout break down a fence." Stoick said, marching inside the house. "Yeah. That's great. But you need to understand that Toothless is..." Hiccup told him. "Oh, you're right. I don't need my hatchet. Toothless can just blow that fence down with a fireball." Stoick laughed, walking back to Toothless. "Up, dragon." Stoick ordered once he was back on Toothless's saddle. The black Fury dragon sent Hiccup a pleading look. "Don't worry, bud. I can fix this." The boy said. "You better do it as soon as you can." Toothless grumbled, flapping his wings and flying upwards. "So, we'll see you up there, Toothless. I really hope." Hiccup said. Aniu walked up beside him and nudged him with her wing. "If you need to fly somewhere, you can ride on me." She said, turning into her Fury dragon/ Monstrous Nightmare form. Hiccup nodded.
After breaking down the fence, Toothless and Stoick's first job was to chase some wild boars into the slaughter house where they'll be killed and turned into food. Gobber quickly closed the doors and a man shouted his thanks up to Stoick who nodded and flew away on Toothless's back. Sven the Guardsman was pulling a cart containing barrels full of mead and ale up to the Great Hall when the cart hit a bump on the ground, causing three of the barrels to fall off and roll down the hill. Stoick and Toothless appeared with Toothless carrying a barrel in his paws and Stoick holding the other two. Both of them dropped the barrels back into the cart. Next up: fishing. Stoick and Toothless flew over the ocean water where a school of fish were swimming. Toothless fired a plasma blast causing fish and water to fly up into the air. Stoick held an open fish basket and let the fish fall into it. Then, they flew back to Berk, dropped the basket of fish into the fish storage and landed in front of the Haddock house.
"Same time tomorrow, Toothless?" Stoick asked, dismounting the exhausted Night Fury. "You see that? That's what it looks like to be ridden all day by a 400 pound man." Hiccup said from where he, Astrid, Aniu, Nava and Stormfly were watching on the stairs leading up to the Great Hall. "At least you got your dad on a dragon." Astrid said. "Yeah, now I just to figure out how to get him off mine." Hiccup replied. "And find Stoick another dragon." Aniu said. "Why don't you just give him the old 'honey and the hatchet'?" Astrid said. Hiccup and Aniu stared at her. "You know, you tell him something he wants to hear, that's the honey part, before you hit him in the head with something he doesn't (she reached out and gently punched Hiccup's shoulder), you know, the hatchet." Astrid said. "Why does your advice always involve weapons?" Hiccup asked. Astrid simply her hand on her hip and smiled at her boyfriend. "That's just the way she is, Hiccup." Nava said before Astrid gently elbowed him in the side, causing him to 'oof'.
The next morning, Stoick walked through the house calling Toothless's name. Then Hiccup walked down the stairs. "Where's Toothless?" Stoick asked his son. Hiccup briefly glanced up at the rafters where Toothless was hiding and looked at his father. "Uh, I don't know. But you look great, Dad. Did you do something to your beard?" He stammered. "All right, you've given me the honey. Now just give me the hatchet." Stoick sighed.
"Look, Dad. You just can't keep taking Toothless. He's mine." Hiccup said, getting straight to the point. "All right, that seems fair. So find me one." Stoick said. "Uh, sorry?" Hiccup asked in confusion. "Find me a dragon as good as Toothless, that shouldn't be so hard for the head of the Berk Dragon Training Academy." Stoick told him. Hiccup sighed, hoping this wouldn't be too difficult.
Hiccup gathered the gang and told them to meet him in the Academy. "The finest dragon species on the island are all represented right here at this academy. " Hiccup said once everything was in place. The gang had brought Arrow, Firesnow, Clobbertail, Lefa and Rila with them and were using them as examples. Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, Barf and Belch were with their kids in the back of the arena. "Kids, behave yourselves." Stormfly said to Skyflier, Forestflier and Violet. "Okay, Mum." The three young Deadly Nadders chirped. "Ignitis, Infernia, I want you to pay attention." Hookfang told his son and daughter firmly. "Okay, Dad." The two young Monstrous Nightmares said. "Stonecruncher, Sweetiepie, stay still and stop moving around." Meatlug scolded her son and daughter. "Sorry, Mum." The two young Gronckles said obediently. "Boomer, Banger, stop headbutting each other." Barf and Belch told his son. "Sorry, Dad." The young Hideous Zippleback said.
To start the show, Snotlout walked over to Stoick. "But the Monstrous Nightmare is the only one with the brawn and prestige for men of our stature. Hop on board" He bragged, gesturing towards Firesnow. Stoick went over to the blue, red and white dragon and gently climbed onto the female Monstrous Nightmare's neck. "Feel the Monstrous Nightmare difference. She may be blue, red and white but she's still got a lot of firepower in her." Snotlout said. "You got that right." Hookfang said, smiling lovingly at his mate. "And on those winter nights, its whole body heats up, just enough to keep you cosy. Here, let me warm her up for you." Snotlout continued before gently tapping Firesnow on the snout causing her to heat her scales up.
But she accidently heated herself up a bit too much, causing Stoick to yelp in pain, hop off and run to the nearest water trough, throwing himself into it. "Now, should I put you down for one. They come in an assortment of colours." Snotlout said. Stoick glared at him. Next up: Astrid and Arrow. "Just because he's handsome and beautiful, people think he's not tough and deadly. But you should never underestimate me, uh, him, Stormfly and other Deadly Nadders" Astrid said, gesturing to the male Deadly Nadder at her side. The green and blonde dragon chirped and starting preening his wings. "Well, he is a handsome boy." Stoick said and did one thing a person hoping to bond with a Deadly Nadder must never do: put a hand on the Nadder's blind spot directly between the nostrils on the snout. "Be careful with the…!" Astrid exclaimed but it was too late. Arrow let out a startled chirp and shot some tailspines from his tail, framing Stoick against the wall with them.
"Monstrous Nightmare's looking a little better, now, huh, chief?" Snotlout asked, swaggering up to Stoick who yelled "Next!". Next up were Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Lefa and Rila. But unfortunately, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were busy fighting and the light blue and yellow female Hideous Zippleback decided to copy them. Lefa spat gas at her sister-head and Rila lit the gas with a spark, causing a small explosion to blow up in her faces, leaving both Zippleback heads dazed. "Next!" Stoick yelled, not impressed by this.
Last to go were Fishlegs and Clobbertail. "What you're really looking for is loyalty. A dragon who will be there for you no matter what. The last face you see at night and the first face you see in the morning, warming your bed when it's cold outside, a shoulder to cry on when the world has turned its back on you, how could you not love a Gronckle?" Fishlegs said, getting a bit emotional and hugging Clobbertail around the neck. The royal blue and light green male Gronckle purred and gently nuzzled his mate's rider.
"Sorry, son. But I'm looking for a dragon, not a mother or father. I haven't seen anything that can hold a candle to a Night Fury." Stoick said, directing the last sentence at Hiccup, Toothless and Aniu.
"Me neither, but Toothless is the only Night Fury on Berk and he's mine." Hiccup said. Just then, Gobber ran inside, followed by Fengo and Namara in their owl forms. Fengo was a Spotted Owl with deep brown feathers, lighter brown undersides, pure white spots and forest green eyes. Namara was a Snowy Owl with golden feathers, pure white markings and emerald green eyes. "Stoick! Another boat is being attacked!" Gobber yelled. "It's that rogue dragon again."Fengo said. "Bucket and Mulch are fending it off right now." Namara said. "Let's go." Stoick said. He and Hiccup walked towards Toothless and put a foot on Toothless's saddle stirrup at the same. "Oh, what was I thinking?" Hiccup said when he realized that Stoick wanted to ride in front of him. "At least he blocks the wind." Hiccup muttered once he and Stoick were mounted on Toothless's saddle. But Hiccup often loved feeling the wind in his face and blowing through his hair. Toothless ran through the gate and shot into the air, followed by Aniu, Fengo and Namara.
Out in the ocean, Bucket and Mulch were finding themselves in a bit of trouble. There was a wild dragon attacking them and they were trying to fight it off. Both of them wielding the boat's oars as weapons, the two men watched a dark, roundish shaped with a long tail swim around the boat. With an eerie, spine-chilling howl, a male Thunderdrum with deep blue scales, light blue underside, dark blue and white spots leapt out of the water, hovered above the boat then unleashed the attack Thunderdrums were famous for: a sonic scream, or a sonic blast depending on how you want to call it.
The sonic scream knocked down the mast and nearly deafened Bucket and Mulch. Just then, Toothless, Stoick, Hiccup, Aniu, Fengo and Namara arrived on the scene. "I don't believe it. A Thunderdrum. They say it gets its power from Thor himself." Hiccup said in amazement. Stoick glared at the dragon who dared to attack his fishermen. "Fire a warning shot. Let him know we mean business." Stoick said. "Toothless, plasma blast." Hiccup ordered. The Night fury shot out a plasma blast at the incoming Thunderdrum who dodged the plasma blast and kept flying at them.
But Toothless fired at it again and the Thunderdrum dove into the water. Toothless landed on the deck of the boat and let Stoick and Hiccup dismount. Aniu, Fengo and Namara turned into their owl forms and landed on the edge of the boat. "I think we scared him off but we need to get everyone out of here." Hiccup said. "Come on, lads. We'll escort you back to shore." Stoick said. "You'll have no more..." Suddenly, the Thunderdrum's tail shot out of the water, grabbed Stoick around the waist and pulled him underwater. "No more what?" Bucket hollered, wondering why Stoick hadn't finished his sentence.
"DAD!" Hiccup screamed, running to the side of the boat. "Stoick!" Aniu and her parents shouted. "Uh, Stoick can swim, right?" Mulch asked. Then the Thunderdrum leapt out of the water with Stoick clinging onto his face. The Thunderdrum crashed onto the boat's deck and Stoick punched him across the face, knocking the Thunderdrum down. "Oh, he's a fighter! He's got spunk!" Stoick exclaimed happily before the Thunderdrum charged at him, knocking the Berkian chief down. Stoick grabbed a fishing net and threw it over the Thunderdrum. "This is the one, Hiccup! I found my dragon! Now, all you and Aniu have to do is train him for me." Stoick said, pinning the Tidal Class dragon down and throwing a hopeful look at Hiccup and Aniu. In shock, Fengo and Namara's beaks fell open and Bucket and Mulch dropped their oars in shock. Hiccup, Aniu and Toothless could only stare at him in disbelief.
Back on Berk in the Berk Dragon Training Academy arena, Hiccup, Stoick, Aniu, Fengo and Namara stared at the Thunderdrum who was muzzled and locked up in a cage. "Sorry about the muzzle." Hiccup apologised. "All right, let's get me on his back. Time's a–wasting." Stoick said impatiently. "Now, we just need to get a saddle in his size." Hiccup said to Aniu, who giggled. "What was that?" Stoick asked, giving them a look. "Nothing. Look, you have to approach him properly, Dad. Especially a dragon like this. He is one of the most powerful dragons I have ever seen." Hiccup said. "Sometimes, I saw Thunderdrums at Guardian Island where I was born and raised." Aniu said to herself.
"That's why I picked him. They say his roar gets its power from Thor himself. He's the god of thunder and lightning, you know." Stoick said. "So I've heard. Still, you have to let the dragon know you're a friend." Hiccup said. "A friend, huh? Oh, like me and Gobber?" Stoick asked thoughtfully. "Well, you know the friendship between Hiccup and Toothless, I was thinking something like that." Aniu said. "Well, Dad. How did you and Gobber first meet?" Hiccup asked. Instead of telling him, Stoick gave him a demonstration. " 'That's my wife you're talking too, you one-legged lout!'"Stoick exclaimed, trapping Hiccup in a headlock and noogying him.
'So, let me get this straight. You first met Gobber when he was talking to Valka and thought he was flirting with her?" Aniu asked. "Actually, he was just being friendly. It turns out that he was talking to Bertha who was right beside her instead of Valka." Stoick said sheepishly, letting go of his son. Hiccup gasped for breath and said. "Not exactly the approach I had in mind. Dad, what's really important is that you let him know that he can trust you." Referring to the blue male Thunderdrum locked in the cage. "You have to make eye contact." He pointed with two fingers to his emerald green eyes.
"Uh-huh, sure." Stoick said. Hiccup and Aniu walked over to the lever and opened the cage doors. The Tidal Class dragon slowly walked out and growled at Stoick who gave him a challenging stare. "Stay calm and be gentle." Aniu carefully instructed. "And you'll know you formed a bond when he presses his snout against your hand." Hiccup said. Stoick reached out his hand but the Thunderdrum snarled and bit at it. Angrily, Stoick punched the Thunderdrum back into his cage.
"Hey, hey. Whoa, what happened to trust?" Hiccup asked in shock. "Talk to him. He's the one who tried to take off my hand." Stoick snapped. They were distracted by the Thunderdrum trying to make a break for it. But Stoick grabbed his tail before he could escape. "Would you stop it, Dad? This is not bonding." Hiccup said. "Ah, yah gotta show these beasts who's boss." Stoick said, s;amming the Thunderdrum down and jumping onto his back. "Ah, look at that. I'm on his back. Any questions?" Stoick said proudly. The Thunderdrum began flying around the academy. "Oh, too many to ask." Hiccup and Aniu sighed as the blue tidal dragon flew out of the arena. "Whoa! Easy, there. Don't you know who I am?" Stoick exclaimed, holding onto the Thunderdrum's back.
"This is more difficult than I thought it would be. And for the record, your father is as stubborn as you" Aniu sighed. Hiccup nodded. "I completely agree with you and I am not as stubborn as you think I am" He said. Aniu gave him a look that said "Oh, really?" and they ran out of the arena.
When they reached the blacksmith's, Hiccup and Aniu decided to talk to Gobber (who was examining Meatlug's teeth), Fengo and Namara. "We talked to him, but he just didn't listen. It's like I'm wasting my breath." Hiccup said. "Hiccup, all fathers are different. They all treat their children in a different way. Many fathers show when they are listening but other fathers pretend they're not listening." Fengo said wisely. "I for one, have always listened to my dearest daughter and always will." He gave Aniu a one-armed and one-winged hug. "Dad." Aniu whined, seeing the teasing look in her father's eyes but she knew he loved her and her mother more than life itself. Hiccup smiled at them and heard Gobber saying "I got it."
"Thank you. At least someone understands me." Hiccup said, grateful that he had people in his life who understood him. "I meant this. " Gobber said, pulling a rotten fang out of Meatlug's mouth. "Nasty. Now, what were you saying?" Hiccup groaned. "Uhhh, my father." He ground out. "Right, Stoick." Gobber deadpanned, chopping the rope that held Meatlug's jaws open and letting the Gronckle walk away. "Thanks, Gobber."She called over her shoulder. "Having a little father and son trouble, are we?" Namara asked, joining her husband and daughter in their hug. "Yes, we are." Hiccup sighed. Namara gave him a pitying look. "Now, let me explain something about fathers and sons." Gobber said. "With some people, it's a father's job to listen to his son without ever letting on that he's heard a word."
"Gobber, you're not being very helpful." Fengo said. Hiccup stared at the two men until he heard a voice yell "Hiccup!". They turned around and saw Stoick limping towards them, holding his side and looking battered and bruised with smudges of dirt all over his clothes, armour and skin. "Dad, what happened?" Hiccup asked, running to his father's side. "Ah, the beast through me off and flew off to Thor knows where." Stoick said.
"Well, can you blame him? All you did was fight him?" Aniu asked. "Ah, he loved it." Stoick waved her off. "Apparently not." Hiccup said, frowning. "We can stand here arguing or we can go and get my dragon back." Stoick said, walking away. Hiccup, Aniu, Fengo and Namara sighed and followed him. "Here we go again." Namara muttered under her breath. Fengo heard her and lay a hand on his wife's shoulder.
In the late afternoon, the Dragon Riders, along with Stoick (who was riding with Hiccup on Toothless's back), Fengo and Namara flew over Berk, searching for the Thunderdrum. "All right, we have to fan out and cover every part of the island." Stoick said. "Ruffnut and Tuffnut, you take the west side." Hiccup said. "You got it, chief." Tuffnut said, adding the chief part by accident. "Can anyone even see me back here?" Hiccup asked, not getting the mistake. "West side!" Stoick yelled at the twins when they didn't move. They quickly did so. "Snotlout, to the north side." Snotlout nodded and directed Hookfang to fly to their assigned position.
'Come on, Fishlegs and Nava, we'll take the east side." Astrid said. "Bu-but it's allergy season." Fishlegs protested. "Fishlegs." Nava gave the chubby Ingerman boy a pointed look. "It's not me, it's her." Fishlegs said, laying his hand on Meatlug's head. Stormfly (with Astrid on her back), Nava and Meatlug (with Fishlegs on her back) flew away, leaving Hiccup, Stoick, Toothless, Aniu, Fengo and Namara by themselves. "Well, your friends are an odd bunch, but they sure know what they're doing on those dragons." Stoick said. "Thank you. I think." Hiccup said.
After several minutes of flying over Berk, they still hadn't found the Thunderdrum so Hiccup decided to strike up a conversation with his father about his bonding strategy." Okay, when we find the dragon, you might wanna think about approaching him differently." Hiccup said. "Obviously, he doesn't like pushed around so..." But Stoick saw the Thunderdrum they were looking for standing guard outside a cave and run into it. "There he is." He said, pointing. "And once again, not a word got through." Hiccup sighed in disappointment. Toothless, Aniu, Fengo and Namara landed and once Hiccup and Stoick got off the Night Fury's back, the Thunderdrum charged forward, snarling. But Toothless reared up, roaring. "Don't you dare hurt my friends!". "Settle down, Toothless." Fengo told the Night Fury. With a grumble, Toothless did what he was told.
"Let me handle this. This dragon's mine." Stoick hissed, pulling a battle hammer out from his armour and holding it up. "Dad..." Hiccup protested. Stoick crept forward and stared at the blue Thunderdrum, then he looked up and saw another Thunderdrum with deep purple scales, light purple undersides, dark purple and white spots in the cave. "There's another Thunderdrum in there." He said. "He's hurt." Hiccup said, walking up beside his father and looking at the purple Thunderdrum. He noticed the dragon seemed to be in pain and was holding its wing by its side. There was a huge hole torn in the wing membrane. A puddle of dried blood was under the wing. "To be more accurate, she's hurt." Namara said, staring at the purple female Thunderdrum. Hiccup stared at her and she nodded, telling him that the purple Thunderdrum was indeed a female.
"He's protecting his friend. Now, it all makes sense. That's why he's been taking all those fish." Stoick said in realization. "Most dragons have instincts to protect, keep each other safe and help other dragons in need." Fengo said. "Go get the others and tell Gobber to get ready." Stoick ordered Hiccup and Aniu. " Dad. We can't just leave you, Fengo and Namara here." Hiccup protested. "You may need help." Aniu also protested. "Go!" Stoick snapped at them. Hiccup sighed and mounted Toothless before the Night Fury shot into the sky, Aniu followed them seconds later.
Stoick waited until they were gone before tossing aside his hammer. "Looks like it's just you, me and these two (He gestured to Fengo and Namara who were standing by in case he needed help). We want to help, trust me." He said, extending his hand to the male Thunderdrum's snout but the tidal dragon looked past Stoick and growled. Stoick turned around and saw a bunch of wild boars heading their way. "Ah, they smell the blood of your wounded friend." He said, reaching for his hammer. As soon as the first boar charged, Stoick let out a battle cry, charged and slammed it aside with his hammer, then another, then another. He looked around for a brief second and saw Fengo and Namara fighting off the boars as well with their wings and magic. Namara turned into her wolf form (Golden fur, white undersides, emerald green eyes) and tackled the boars.
A fourth boar leapt onto his back but Stoick threw it against the rock wall. Two more boars stalked towards the purple female Thunderdrum who whimpered in fear. The blue male Thunderdrum came to her rescue and whipped the boars away with his long tail.
Stoick swung his hammer at another boar, but missed and the boar tackled him. He struggled to get the boar off him until it was whipped away by the blue Thunderdrum. Stoick leapt up, struck another boar, hit a second and threw a third boar off the cliff edge into the water. With the first group of boars defeated, another group came forward to avenge their fallen comrades. Glancing at each other, Stoick and the blue Thunderdrum came to an agreement. Stoick held out his open palm and the blue male Thunderdrum pressed his snout against it. Watching this sight, Fengo and Namara did not interrupt.
With the next group of boars coming closer, Stoick ripped off the muzzle and the blue Thunderdrum bowed his head, letting Stoick climb onto his back and sit behind his head. Stoick waited until the boars were close enough before raising his fist and swinging it down, giving the tidal class dragon the signal to fire out a sonic blast. The wild boars were blown away, literally. "Aw, look at us. We're bonded!" Stoick exclaimed happily. "You sure are." Fengo said proudly. Then the dragon riders arrived. "What happened?" Hiccup asked, dismounting Toothless. "Ah, battled a few boars, did a little bonding." Stoick said. "They sure did." Namara said, returning to her human form.
"You?" Hiccup asked in surprise. "Of course. There's some things you should know about dragons. It's all about trust." Stoick said. "So, you actually heard that?" Hiccup asked. "Yes, I just said it. I listen." Stoick chuckled. Hiccup stared at his father in relief and amazement. "Now, who's this handsome fella?" Aniu asked, gesturing at the blue male Thunderdrum Stoick was riding on. "My name is Thornado and the Thunderdrum in the cave is my mate. Her name's Sonica." He said, blushing at being called handsome. Aniu relayed this information to all of the surrounding people.
"Now, what should we do about Sonica?" Fengo asked, having heard Thornado say her name. "We need to take her back to the village. Her wing's hurt bad. She'll need a magical operation to fix the damage." Namara said, who had been examining Sonica in the cave. "We've got a sail here in case we needed to carry someone or something back to the village. Hopefully, it's big enough for her." Nava said.
Once they managed to load Sonica onto the sail, they carried her to a cave right beside the Haddock house where she and Thornado would live. Thankfully, the cave was close to and had a perfect view of the ocean so the two Thunderdrums were happy. Later on, Aniu, Nava, Fengo, Namara, Thornado, Stoick, Hiccup and Toothless gathered together outside Thornado and Sonica's cave. "Is she ready for the operation?" Stoick asked. Namara (who had just checked on Sonica with her daughter) nodded. "Yes, she is. Hopefully, all it will take is a few healing spells."She said. "And it is time for the operation now." She and the rest went inside the cave where Sonica was waiting. Namara, Fengo, Aniu and Nava positioned themselves close to Sonica's wounded wing and held their hands on both sides. Thornado sat on his mate's other side so he could comfort her. Namara made sure the wound was cleaned free of blood and possible infection. "Will this hurt?" Sonica asked in the deep voice that Thunderdrums usually spoke in. "Hopefully, it won't be too painful." Namara said comfortingly.
"All right, on one, two, three." Fengo said and the four guardians began chanting "healomora" over and over again. Aniu and Namara's hands were glowing emerald green, Fengo's hands were glowing forest green and Nava's hands were glowing sapphire blue. Slowly, but surely the hole began to close as the membrane knitted back together. Sonica hissed in pain and gritted her large teeth until it was finally over. "All done." Namara said and the four guardians finished the spells. Namara began examining the wing and the hole was completely gone, leaving flawless skin with only a small scar. Scales had also began to grow back but they'll take time. Sonica stared at her wing then looked at her mate in relief and happiness. "You should be back to flying in around two weeks and until then, take it easy." Fengo said. "Thank you. I was so scared that I'll never be ble to fly or swim properly again." Sonica said, deep voice thick with emotion. "I think you should rest now." Aniu said gently. "Yes, I think I will now. Goodnight." Sonica said and fell asleep. Thornado nuzzled his mate and lay down beside her.
Every one walked outside and Aniu and Nava gave each other a hug. Aniu sighed into Nava's shoulder. She loved hugs, especially from him. Astrid walked up to Hiccup with a grin on her face. "Hey, Hic. Congratulations on getting your father a dragon." She said. "Thanks, Astrid. I admit, it was a lot of work." Hiccup said, giving her a hug, than summoning his courage, he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Astrid glanced at him in surprise then snuggled her head into his chest.
"Ah, My Dad still does things the Viking Way."
The week after, Stoick rode on Thornado's back while the Thunderdrum pulled two boats out into the water. He now wore a saddle made just for him and liked it.
"Fortunately, Aniu, Toothless and I showed him that the Viking Way can also be the Dragon Way."
Once the two ships were out on the open water, Thornado let go of the ropes and flew up into the sky with Stoick on his back. They were joined by Hiccup and Toothless. Together, father and son, along with their dragons spent some quality family time by flying around Berk. Aniu also spent some quality family time with her parents by doing the same thing. The roar of the Thunderdrum was joined by the baritone roar of a Night Fury.
In this story, Hiccup and Astrid are boyfriend and girlfriend but they're taking their relationship slowly for the time being. You'll probably find a bit more romance between Aniu and Nava in these stories than Hiccup and Astrid.
I based Arrow the Deadly Nadder off one of my Deadly Nadders (the main one) from School of Dragons. My School of Dragons main Nadder is also named Arrow, I think it's a male, it's also got green scales but with red horns and light blue undersides.
Sorry, for taking so long, but I had so many issues with my schedule that I forgot about my stories.
One thing I don't is that in Dragons: Race to the Edge; Episode 3: Imperfect Harmony, Thunderdrums are nearly deaf but in Dragons: Riders and Defenders of Berk Thornado seemed to hear things very clearly.
This story was thirteen pages long on Microsoft Office.
Updated: 2.11.2015