Chronicles of the Dragoniters
"Normal/ Dragon/ Animal Speech"/ Thinking/ "Telepathic Speech"/ "Both Telepathic and Normal Speech"
Disclaimer: THE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON FRANCHISE AND BOOKS DO NOT BELONG TO ME! They are the respective property of Dean Deblois and Cressida Cowell.
CotD: Dawn of the Dragoniters
Edited: 8/10/2017
Chapter 4: The First Day of Dragon Combat Training
Fortunately for Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu, Nava, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker, Akira, Caruso, Edme, Zena and Artemis, they reached the village before dinner time. They stopped at the paths that would lead to their respective homes. "I guess Aniu and I should tell our families what has happened today." Nava said. "And Astrid and I should make something up and say we were out exploring the forest with our Familiars today." Hiccup replied. "Our Soul-Dragons will be esxpecting us to go back to the Cove tomorrow." Aniu said. "Until then, let us just get dinner, get to bed and wake up tomorrow morning." Astrid replied. The four Soul-Mates hugged each other goodbye and went their separate ways.
Astrid was the first to reach her home. "Mum! Dad! Erikin! I am home!" She called and a ten year old boy with golden-blonde hair and ice blue eyes raced over to her, flinging his arms around his sister's waist. He wore a blue shirt, white trousers and black boots. "Where have you been, Astrid?" He asked. "That is what we would like to know, Astrid." Their mother said, walking over to them with her husband and their father. She had golden hair, a fierce face, ice blue eyes and a belly swollen by pregnancy. She wore a blue shirt, a black skirt, white leggings, black boots, white arm wraps and a black chestplate. "You have been gone all day, young lady." Their fathers said. He had blonde hair and a beard, sapphire blue eyes and scars over his face and arms. He wore much the same as his son but with armour. Stryker flew inside and landed, letting Astrid stroke his feathers.
"Hiccup, Aniu, Nava and I were exploring the forest with our Familiars." She said. "Perhaps you can tell us all about it and we will find time to do it together as a family." Arthur Hofferson said. "We could even have a picnic and sparring match." Ingrid Hofferson agreed. "Can we go soon? Please? Please? Please? I will be really good and do all of my chores." Erikin begged. "Once your father and I come back from the search party." Ingrid said. "What? Wait. Are you two going to search for the Dragon's Nest again?" Astrid asked in shock. "But what about me, Finnley and Astrid? What will we do?" Erikin asked. "You three will be staying with Nava's family and Astrid will be joining the Dragon Combat Training Program." Arthur said. "Can I take my toys with me?" A young voice asked and the family turned to see their youngest member, a five year old boy named Finnley Hofferson, named after Arthur's brother who had been killed during a Flightmare attack on Berk nine years before. He had his sibling's golden-blonde hair and ice blue eyes. He wore the garb typical for young Berkian Vikings, a blue tunic, black trousers and white boots. "Yes, you can but I will be packing them." Astrid said and proceeded to talk to her parents about her enrolment and what would be happening while they were gone.
Nava was the next to step through his door. However, as as soon he did so, Mira launched herself into her older brother's arms. Nava grunted and nearly fell over but Theo helped steady him. "Easy there, son. Not so fast, you little whirlwind." He said. Mira giggled and Nava smiled gratefully at their father. Nala stood with her arms folded a short way away. "So, how did it go? What was Icicle like?" She asked. "Was she pretty and cool?" Mira asked. "She is definitely beautiful, I will tell you guys that. She is a Winter Dragon much like my dragon form." Nava said, gently putting Mira down. "Tell us everything, son and do not leave out any details." Theo said. And so Nava told his family everything that had happened since he had left that morning. Zena and Artemis added in their own info and by the time he had finished, Theo, Nala and Mira were stunned speechless. "So what you are saying is that there is a ginormous dragon called Evregina the Majora Maximus who is responsible for enslaving other dragons with the help of her Hags-Fiends and forcing them to attack Berk." Nala asked in shock. "Yeah, pretty much. It shocked me too." Nava admitted. "There is something we want to tell you too. Stoick has enrolled you, Aniu, Hiccup and Astrid in Dragon Combat Training with Thuggory, Camicazi, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut." Theo said.
Stoick was sitting at the fireplace and sharpening a double axe when Hiccup arrived home. Sprinter went to his stable while Sorena flew into Hiccup's room from the window outside. Unwilling to talk to his father that night, Hiccup considered morphing into his Barn Owl form and following Sorena but Stoick already knew his son was there. "Hiccup." he said. "Dad. Uh...I have to talk to you." Hiccup stammered nervously. "I have to speak with you too, son." Stoick replied and then both Haddock men simultaneously said what they wanted to say. "I have decided that I do not want to fight dragons." Hiccup said. "I think it is time you learn to fight dragons." Stoick told him. "What?" Both of them asked. "Uh, you go first." Stoick said. "No, no, you go first." Hiccup told him. "Alright, Dragon Training. You start in the morning." Stoick stated firmly. Hiccup thought. "Oh, man. I should have gone first!" He groaned. "Uh, because I was thinking, you know, we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough bread-baking Vikings or small home repair Vikings."
"You will need this. Not just those daggers and battle sticks." Stoick ignored his son and handed him a large battle axe. "But I do not want to fight dragons." Hiccup said, thanking his lucky starts he had grown stronger since activating his Soul-Bonds with Astrid, Aniu and Nava and his Familiar Bonds with Sorena and Sprinter. "Oh, come on. Yes, you do." Stoick chuckled, thinking Hiccup was telling a joke. After all, Hiccup had spent years building inventions and sneaking out into the battlefield. He had actually been doing it to learn more about dragons, not kill them as Stoick thought he had been trying to do. Things had changed when Aniu, Nava, their families and Familiars had arrived and intregated themselves into the Village of Berk.
"Rephrase, Dad: I cannot kill or fight dragons." Hiccup said. "But you will fight and kill dragons." Stoick said. "No, I am really very extra sure that I will not." Hiccup retorted. "It is time, Hiccup." Stoick replied. "Can you not hear me?" Hiccup asked him desperately. "This is serious, son." Stoick told him sternly. "When you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you, which means you talk like us. You walk like us. You think like us, no more of...this." He gestured at his son's small, thin body. "You just gestured to all of me." Hiccup complained. "Deal?" Stoick asked, raising an eyebrow. "This conversation is feeling very one-sided." Hiccup said in frustration. "Deal?" Stoick repeated, narrowing his eyes. Hiccup sighed miserably. "Deal." He relented. Stoick nodded, throwing a pack over his shoulders. "Good." He said. "Train hard. I'll be back...probably." And walked to the door. "And I will be here, maybe." Hiccup replied as Stoick closed the door behind him. Hiccup walked up the stairs and opened the door to his room. It had a single bed consisting of a mattress, sheets, a pillow and a blanket, all set on a wooden frame. A wooden chest was on the ground at the foot of the bed and a closet full of Hiccup's clothing was against one wall.
A large, open and closable window was open and a wooden desk topped with parchment, charcoal pencils, quills, ink bottles and blue prints and a wooden chair was against another wall. Hiccup's room was blocked off from the rest of the house by walls and a door. Sorena had built herself a nest on a desk Hiccup had brought in for her. Taking off his boots, Hiccup lay down in bed, and pulled the blanket over him. Tomorrow is going to be a wonderful day. He thought sarcastically and fell asleep. That night, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu, Nava, Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle visited each other in their dreams.
"So, let me guess. You three are in Dragon Combat Training too?" Hiccup asked Astrid, Aniu and Nava. "Yep. Our parents said Stoick enrolled us." The three of them replied. "This could still present valuable opportunities for us." Toothless mused thoughtfully. "Yeah, you four could use these lessons to show your fellow Vikings that not all dragons are monsters or mindless beasts." Stormfly said. "Stormfly, Heatwave and I each have a loved one held captive in that stone arena." Icicle said, anxiety creeping into her voice. "If you four see a forest green male Deadly Nadder named Arrow, a yellow and blue female Summer Dragon named Sunshine and a silver male Winter Dragon named Blizzard, please tell us." Heatwave pleaded. "We are very worried about them and we miss them too." Toothless said. "Astrid, Aniu, Nava, Hiccup, we beg you, please do whatever you four can to ensure they and the other dragons in the arena are not harmed." Stormfly pleaded. "We will, Stormfly. We will find a way to make sure they are not hurt but make it seem like we are actually trying to hurt them to avoid attracting unwanted attention until it is time for us to reveal the truth." Astrid vowed, sending comforting waves to Stormfly across their Bond. "Thank you, Astrid. Be careful, each of you." Icicle said. "It is getting late and you four need to be up early tomorrow morning. Best get some sleep." Heatwave said and they agreed, bidding each other goodnight and sweet dreams. And Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava did indeed have sweet dreams that night of kissing, hugging and making out which made them slightly embarrassed but happy and wistful anyway.
The next morning, Aniu, Nava, Hiccup and Astrid woke up with smiles and slight blushes on their faces as they remembered their dreams about kissing each other the night before. Then they remembered they had to get ready for Dragon Training so they ate breakfast, gathered their gear ad rushed outside to meet up with each other. "Hey! Aniu, wait for us!" Arin yelled. "Sorry, little brother." Aniu replied. Fengo, Namara, Arin, Theo, Nala, Mira, Erikin and Finnley were going to be watching from the stands with the families of the other teens so they could watch the teens attend their first day of Dragon Training. Caruso, Edme, Zena, Artemis, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker and Akira were also going to watch from the bleachers.
Aniu, Nava, Hiccup and Astrid met up on their way to the Arena. Hiccup was armed with the axe Stoick had given him before he had left, Astrid was armed with her favourite double-bladed battle axe that had once belonged to her mother but was given to her as a gift, Nava had armed himself with two swords, once in each hand, both forged by Hiccup. Like many Elf-Faes, Aniu and Nava were both very skilled in Dual-Sword-Weilding Combat but for her first day of Dragon Training, Aniu instead had chosen to weild an Elf-Fae bow with Elf-Fae in a quiver strapped over her back. All four of them also had their Bright-Steel Daggers, Battle-Sticks and Phoenix Tears, in case they lost their main weapons and had to fall back on their spare weapons. The Phoenix Tears were for in case any of them got injured and needed healing.
"Remember what we discussed, Aniu." Namara told her daughter, one hand on one of Aniu's shoulders and the other hand on her swollen belly. "I will, Mum." Aniu said, giving her pregnant mother a hug. "Make it look like you four are trying to hurt the dragons without actually hurting them." Fengo told them quietly. "We will, Dad." Aniu replied. "Do not show everyone too much of what you four can do." Theo said. "Just use the skills you need and improvise when or if you four have to." Nala added. "Okay, Dad. Thanks, Mum." Nava replied. Fengo, Namara, Arin, Theo, Nala and Mira gave Aniu, Nava, Hiccup and Astrid one last hug before they parted ways. "Today is going to be a tough onbe." Hiccup sighed. "I think everyday is going to be tough." Nava replied. "Please do not jinx it." Aniu said. "We will just do the best we can to cope with everyday." Astrid replied. "Does that mean kicking butts and taking names, my dear Astrid?" Aniu purred, raising an eyebrow at Astrid. "Yep." Astrid grinned and both girls clapped hands.
It was not long before they reached the arena and found the others already waiting there. Snotlout winked flirtatiously at Aniu and Astrid who gave him disgusted looks, Ruffnut and Tuffnut grinned and cracked their knuckles and Thuggory, Camicazi and Fishlegs smiled at them. "There you guys are! Ready to kick some dragon butt?" Camicazi grinned, twirling a throwing knife around in her hands. "Today ought to be entertaining." Thuggory smirked. "And really dangerous too." Fishlegs added quietly. Gobber arrived in a few minutes and opened the gate to let the trainees into the arena which was essentially a gigantic, circular stone pit, big enough to fit 15 or so Timberjacks in, walls about 25 feet high and with dozens of thick, wooden doors framed with metal that obviously held dragons behind them.
"Welcome to Dragon Training." Gobber announced, gesturing into the arena. "No turning back." Astrid murmured, walking into the arena with the nine other trainees close behind her. "Time to get dirty." Aniu added. "Whoo, this place is great for holding dragons." Nava whistled, looking up at the metal-barred ceiling of the arena. The holes were so small very few dragons, except for perhaps Terrible Terrors, could fly or burn their way out of. "I hope I get some burns and scars." Tuffnut grinned. "I am hoping for some mauling." Ruffnut added. "What it is with you two and pain?" Thuggory asked. "It is only fun if you get a scar out of it." Astrid remarked. "Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain, love it." Hiccup said sarcastically. "Hey, if any of us get hurt, those four could always heal us up with their Phoenix Tears." Camicazi said, gesturing at Aniu, Nava, Hiccup and Astrid. "Scars are a badge of pride and honour for true Vikings." Snotlout bragged. "Well, I guess we will not be healing you up any time, Snotlout." Aniu said. "Who even want scars anyway?" Nava inquired.
"Let us get started. The recruit who does best will win the honour of killing his or her first dragon in front of an entire consisting of the finest Dragon Fighting warriors of Berk." Gobber said, flexing his hook. "I wonder who that could be." Snotlout said sarcastically as the Dragon Trainees lined up in a row facing one cage. "Behind these doors are just 15 of the many dragons you will learn to fight and kill. The Deadly Nadder, the Hideous Zippleback, the Monstrous Nightmare, Terrible Terrors, the Gronckle, the Whispering Death, the Timberjack, the Grapple Grounder, the Snaptrapper, Thunderdrum, Scauldron, Changewing, Mood Dragon and finally, two dragons we never really had the honour of hosting in our arena: the Winter Dragon and the Summer Dragon." Gobber continued, walking around the arena and gesturing to each cage door. Aniu and Nava perked up at the mention of the last two, knowing they had to be Blizzard and Sunshine.
Realizing Gobber was already going to set the first dragon loose, Snotlout nearly had a panic attack. "Whoa, whoa, wait! Are you not going to teach us first?" He asked desperately. Aniu and Nava nodded in agreement. Back on Elf-Fae Island, nearly everything they had learned had started with theoretical study and research which usually meant reading books, the teacher telling them what it was about and watching demonstration. "I believe in learning on the job." Gobber said simply and pulled down a lever on a cage to release...the Gronckle. It was a female with light brown scales, light tan underscales, light purple scales forming a spotted pattern all over her light brown scales and amber eyes. Wasting no time at all, the female Gronckle shot out of her cage as fast as her wings would take her, making a beeline for the trainees who scattered.
Instead of changing her course to go after them, the female Gronckle flew straight for a pile of rocks that had been left there for her and gobbled some up. "If you get blasted, you are dead. Quick, what the first thing you are going to need?" Gobber told them. "Lots of Phoenix Tears?" Hiccup guessed sarcastically despite already knowing the answer. "Speed, agility and manoeuvrability." Fishlegs gasped. "A shield for protection." Astrid said. "All of those things are good but yes! A shield! The most important piece of dragon fighting equipment is your shield. So go get one! They are over there!" Gobber yelled and the trainees dashed over to the pile of shields lying on the ground nearby. Ruffnut and Tuffnut happened to grab the same shield and fought over it, neither of them bothering to look for another shield. "Get your hands off my shield." Tuffnut snapped at his sister as they tugged the same shield back and forth. "There are like million shields."Ruffnut yelled. "Take that one. It has a flower on it." Tuffnut said gesturing to another shield. "Girls like flowers." Ruffnut violently tore the shield out of her brother's hands and hit him over the head with it. Tuffnut yelped in pain and backed away. "Oops. Now this one has blood on it." Ruffnut said, smirking.
Tuffnut grabbed the shield again and they resumed fighting over it. Only seconds later, it was lava-blasted by the female Gronckle. "Ruff, Tuff, both of you are out!" Gobber yelled. "W-what?" Tuffnut asked as he and Ruffnut got up in a daze. Nava grabbed a shield for himself and Aniu as Aniu needed both hands to use her bow and arrows. "Those shields are good for another thing. Noise! Make lots of it to throw off the dragon's aim." The remaining trainees began banging their weapons against their shields and the Gronckle began staggering in flight, her hearing and eyesight distorted. "Every dragon has weaknesses. You must remember them and exploit them whenever you are confronted by one." Gobber said.
"If one of us throws bolas around this dragon's jaws, it will not be able to spit lava!" Fishlegs yelled before the Gronckle lava blasted his shield out of his weapons. "That is correct, Fishlegs! Now one of you must grab a bola and toss it around this big baddie's jaws. Good luck!" Gobber yelled as Fishlegs ran to safety. The Gronckle prepared to fire a lava blast at Nava but he shot a blast of ice from his hands in return, forcing the Gronckle to fly out of the way. Aniu ran around the Gronckle until she was beside her and fired a ball of fire from her hands. The Gronckle stumbled in flight and looked around for her but Aniu was already running away to a better position. Snotlout found himself beside Astrid and sensing an opportunity, could not help himself. "So, anyway. I moved into my parent's basement. You should come by sometime to see me. We will have a great time together!" Snotlout attempted to flirt with Astrid, something he did all the time. Hiccup, Aniu and Nava threw him irritated looks. Sensing two potential targets, the female Gronckle shot a lava blast at Snotlout and disarmed him of his shield. "Snotlout, you are done!" Gobber told him.
Thuggory and Camicazi tried their absolute best to take the Gronckle down but even they had their weapons blasted out of their hands and were forced to leave the battle. Aniu, Nava, Hiccup and Astrid found themselves side by side. "So, I guess it is just us now." Hiccup said. "Yep, why don't you put your speed to the test?" Astrid requested. "I will distract the Gronckle by jumping and flipping around." Aniu said. "I guess that leaves Astrid and I to finish the job." Nava said before they were forced to leap aside when the Gronckle attempted to finish them all off with a lava blast. Hiccup ran around the Gronckle who tried to fry the fast young human but then Aniu was in her way, forcing her to try and shoot at the young Elf-Fae. Working together, Hiccup and Aniu distracted back and forth, leaving her hopelessly confused and trying to shoot at them but when she was about to fire at either Hiccup or Aniu, the other would draw her attention and aim to him or her.
While the Gronckle was distracted with Hiccup and Aniu, Astrid and Nava grab bolas and threw them at the dragon's legs, wings, tail and jaws, sending her crashing to the ground, struggling to break free of the chains. Everyone stared at the four Soul-Mates in awe and Caruso, Edme, Zena, Artemis, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker and Akira nodded their approval, pride shining in their eyes. The people watching cheered and congratulated them. Taking a moment to bask in pride, Gobber called in a team of Vikings to get the Gronckle back into her cage. Once the lock was safely secured, Gobber turned back to the ten trainees as they lined up again, waiting for him to give his speech. "You lot will get more chances, don't any of you worry and remember, a dragon will always, always go for the kill." He told Aniu, Nava, Hiccup, Astrid, Camicazi, Thuggory, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. "Aniu, Nava, Hiccup, Astrid, your teamwork was brilliant. All Vikings must work as a team in everyday life to destroy our enemies, build homes, farm our fields and hunt our prey." The four smiled and bowed their heads.
Gobber returned the smile and praised the other trainees on what they did right and lectured them on what they did wrong before announching class was over for the day, telling them they were going to sit together at dinner and dismissing the trainees. As the others left, Aniu, Nava, Hiccup and Astrid walked outside the arena and Arin, Mira, Erikin and Finnley ran up to them, giving their older siblings hugs. "You four did great, guys." Arin said. "Thanks, lil bro." Aniu grinned, ruffling Arin's hair. "I cannot wait until I am in Dragon Training." Erikin said. "That will be years away, bro." Finnley. "Gee, thanks for reminding me." Erikin grumbled. "You four will teach us, won't you?" Finnley asked, gazing up at hsister and her Soul-Mates with big, pleading eyes. "Do not worry, lil man, we will." Astrid grinned, ruffling Finnley's hair. "What are we going to do now?" Mira asked. "Well, lil lady, Aniu, Hiccup, Astrid and I were thinking of spending some alone time together exploring the forest." Nava said.
"And you little ones will be coming over to our place for a playdate." Namara said as she, Fengo, Theo and Nala walked over to them. "Okay, Mum. See you guys later when you four come back." Arin said and stepped back his parents, Theo and Nala could hug Aniu, Nava, Hiccup and Astrid. "We are so proud of you four." Fengo said, smiling at the four Soul-Mates. "We will let you four go now." Theo said. "Be back by tonight, okay." Nala said sternly. "We will, Mum." Nava smiled. Caruso, Zena, Ar, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker and Akira walked over to them. "It is time for us to go now." Edme said then closed off the links that allowed Erikin and Finnely to hear. "They will be waiting."
"You twelve best get going. Be back by tonight." Namara said. "Bye." Arin, Mira, Erikin and Finnley said, letting Fengo, Namara, Theo and Nala lead them away. Aniu, Nava, Hiccup; andAstrid mounted Edme, Artemis, Sprinter and Akira, sinking their hands into their fur. The two Dire Wolves and two Reindeer began walking into the forest as Caruso, Zena, Sorena and Stryker flew overhead, making sure they were not being followed or watched. Following the trail they had taken to find the Cove the day before, the twelve found it again and made their way through the gapo in the rock wall, out onto the ledge and the path leading into the Cove. When they were on the ground of the Cove, Aniu's highly enhanced hearing detected the sounds of a bush rustling close by and excited breathing broken up by muffled giggles. "I know you are there, young ones. Come out, come out, wherever you are." Aniu sang, feeling mischievous and the giggles and breathing were broken by gasps.
"What? How does she we are here?" A voice she recognized as Violet's asked her two companions. "She must reeaaalllly good hearing and eyesight." Nightus muttered. "We can still scare them, can we not?" Onyx asked. "I assure you, young ones, that is not a good idea." Aniu told them. "Really? How so? What are you going to do when we scare you?" Violet challenged. "Come on, let us just walk out of these bushes and talk to them. My scales are itching." Nightus complained. "Your scales are always itching and you can barely even stay still for five seconds, mister." Onyx muttered. And so the three dragons stepped out of the bushes. "We were wondering when you guys were coming back. We missed you a lot." Violet chirped. "Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle are getting really impatient." Onyx said. "So we decided to keep watch and wait for you guys." Nightus added brightly.
"Well, I dare say you kids did a good job." Hiccup smiled, petting Onyx on her head. "We did? Yes!" Violet and Nightus cheered. "We love you, Hiccup!" Onyx said, trying to give Hiccup a big baby Night Fury hug. Hiccup chuckled and scratched Onyx under her chin, making her purr in bliss. "What say you three lead us to our dragons?" Nava suggested. "We got a lot to do today." Astrid added. "All right, this way." Violet said, turning tail and walking excitedly into the trees. "Follow us, come on!" Nightus chirped, running after her. "Geez, wait for us." Onyx replied, nudging Hiccup forward. The four Soul-Mates and their eight Familiars chuckled and followed the three dragon youngsters.
As soon as they were close to the campsite, the three young dragons began calling for their fellow campers. "Toothless! Stormfly! Heatwave! Icicle!" Violet roared. "Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava are here!" Nightus shouted. "And so are their Familiars!" Onyx yelled.
Within minutes, four familiar dragons emerged: one Night Fury, one Deadly Nadder, one Summer Dragon and one Winter Dragon. Estatic to see their Soul-Dragons again, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava ran forward, wrapping their arms around Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle's necks. Giggling, Violet, Nightus and Onyx ran up to Bolt, Electra, Spark, Darkfang, Lilith and Amaya who had also emerged with Elenia, Solarfira, Lunastar, Softmane, Magnus, Spike and Sashara. "Well, we were wondering when you twelve were going to show up." Toothless joked. "Taking your own sweet time seems to be a habit of yours." Stormfly said, amused. "But do not worry, we always knew you lot would come back soon." Heatwave said. "We are most anxious and impatient to learn more about you four." Icicle added.
"That means your Bird Forms, your Mammal Forms, your Elements, your abilities and your magical powers." Elenia said. "And we will like to hear what has happened since you left us yesterday." Solarfira said. "Patience, hurrying them will not help." Lunastar said firmfly. "We know but I fear we have only a few weeks at the most." Softmane replied. "How was your first day of Dragon Combat Training?" Toothless asked. "Who or what was the dragon you faced?" Stormfly inquired. "Was it Arrow, Blizzard or Sunshine?" Heatwave questioned. "Or no dragon at all?" Icicle said. "It was a female Gronckle, we did not hurt her." Hiccup said. "It was what we would expect for learning how to fight dragons." Astrid said. "We do not know what dragon we will be facing tomorrow." Aniu said. "Gobber has invited the trainees to join him for dinner in the Great Hall, including us." Nava added.
"Learn what you can tonight and report to us through our Mind Link before you go to sleep." Darkfang ordered. "But first, we will like to see what you four can do." Lilith said. "Oh, this is going to be fun and entertaining." Amaya grinned, showing her sharp, white teeth. "First things first: Elements." Magnus said. "I will go first. Stand back, guys." Aniu said and held out her hand with the palm up. A ball of red-hot fire blazed to life and a visible gust of wind swirled around her. "Do you have to make such a fiery production out of everything?" Nava asked and stepped forward. Almost instantly, it began to snow and rain around Nava and he froze a ball of water in his palm, turning it into crystal clear ice. Then everyone's attention turned to Hiccup and Astrid who had only discovered their Elements that morning when they woke up.
Taking a deep breath, Hiccup stepped forward and called forth his newly-found, hours old power. To everyone's shock and awe, shadows covered Hiccup from head to foot and lightning flashed and sparked all over his body. Holding up a hand, Hiccup shot a lightning bolt at a boulder, leaving behind a lightning bolt scorch mark. "Show offs. It is my turn now." Astrid declared and her form began to glow with an almost blinding golden light for several seconds before condensing it into a narrow beam and using it to carve through a tree branch. The laser beam vanished, only to be replaced by a ball of sapphire blue energy. Astrid threw at a boulder and the entire thing disentregated. "Very impressive Elements." Toothless remarked. "And each of them correspond to us in different ways." Stormfly said. "Darkness and Lightning for Hiccup and Toothless, Light and Energy for Astrid and Stormfly, Fire and Air for Aniu and Heatwave and Ice and Water for Nava and Icicle." Elenia said. "You four will have to show us of your abilities." Icicle said.
"Next up: Bird Forms. This ought to be a breeze." Heatwave announced. Aniu went first, her body shifting and shimmering as she morphed into her Barn Owl Form. When the transformation was complete, Aniu was hovering in the air in where they could easily view her, flying in circles around their heads. Hiccup also turned into his Barn Owl, mirroring Aniu as they circled and soared through the air. Nava and Astrid both morphed into their Golden Eagle Forms several seconds apart, hovering in the air and following Hiccup and Astrid. They landed on a boulder a few minutes later and let Toothless, Stormfly, Icicle and Heatwave get a closer, much better look at them. "Well, Hiccup, your colours definitely match your Elements." Toothless quipped. "All four of you are exemplary flyers, skilful and fast." Heatwave said. "We will have to test your limits and break through." Stormfly said. "What about your Mammal Forms?" Icicle requested.
Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava hopped off the boulder then morphed, Hiccup and Astrid shapeshifted into their Reindeer Forms while Aniu and Nava both transformed into their Dire Wolf Forms, earning them stares of awe from everyone watching except for Caruso, Edme, Zena, Artemis, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker and Akira who each nodded in proud approval. "They take after us quite well, do they not?" Edme asked, her eyes glinting. "Indeed they do, Edme when it comes to appearance, personality and abilities." Heatwave replied, smiling at the Dire Wolf. "They have flourished brilliantly under our instructions." Caruso said. "Indeed they have, Caruso and they have a lot to learn from us as well." Heatwave said.
"Now it is time for Aniu and Nava to show us their Dragon Forms and for Hiccup and Astrid to learn how to shapeshift into theirs." Elenia said. Hiccup and Astrid returned to their Human Forms while Aniu and Nava cleared some space for themselves. Aniu went first, shapeshifting into her Summer Dragon Form which brought an expression of awe, joy and wonder to Heatwave's face, particuarl;y as he eyed Aniu's golden-brown and emerald green scales. "Aniu, can you show us your Breath Weapon?" He requested. Aniu nodded, took a deep breath, raised her head to the sky and exhaled a stream of golden fire that rippled and billowed in waves of hot heat everyone could feel.
"Nava, it is your turn. Show us your Dragon Form." Icicle said. "Will do, my dearest Soul-Dragoness." Nava said charmingly and shapeshifted into his silver-blonde and sapphire blue Winter Dragon Form. Everyone could see and Nava could sense the waves of joy, awe and wonder emanating from Icicle as she took in her Soul-Rider's Dragon Form for the first time. Smiling, Nava breathed a stream of pure, freezing cold ice at a tree, freezing it over in shimmering waves of crystalline ice that reflected the sunlight shining in through the trees. And for the finale, Nasva raised his tail and flicked it, sending a volley of smooth spikes at another tree which hardly any spike missed. "Show off. You did not have to make such a production out of it." Aniu, Hiccup and Astrid and then stared at each other in surprise for saying the exact same thing at the exact same time, as did Nava but everyone else shook their heads or laughed in fond amusement.
"Everything you four did was so cool!" Violet gushed. "I hope you four learn how to do way more!" Nightus exclaimed. "You guys will come back everyday and every afternoon, won't you?" Onyx begged. "Do not worry, we will, Onyx." Hiccup said. "Good because I cannot skip an afternoon with you guys." Astrid grinned affectionately. "That is very good because we have a training regiment ready for you." Solarfira said. "We will teach you everything we know about being Dragon-Soul-Diders and Children of Sunheela." Lunastar said. "If for some reason, you twelve are unable to come, contact us and we will discuss what to do." Softmane added. Toothless glanced up at the sky and noticed the setting sun. He alerted them and Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu, Nava, Caruso, Edme, Zena, Artemis, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker and Akira reluctantly prepared to leave. "We will be back tomorrow after Dragon Combat Training." Aniu said. "And we will be teaching Hiccup and Astrid how to shapeshift into their Dragon Forms." Nava added. "Goodbye!" All four of them yelled at their Soul-Dragons and the other campers. "Goodbye!" They replied.
Although slightly upset they had to leave again, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava wore smiles on their faces as they walked back to the village. "They will be all right when we come back tomorrow." Hiccup said. "I know and we will finally learn how to shapeshift into our Dragon Forms." Astrid said, barely unable to contain her excitement. Hiccup chuckled then to Astrid's joy, cupped her cheek, swept her hair aside and kissed her on her forehead. "I will be so excited for it." He whispered. "I know, you adorkable goof." Astrid teased before she kissed Hiccup on his forehead. That started an exchange of forehead kisses among Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava, each Soul-Mate taking turns to kiss their other Soul-Mates on their foreheads. In higher spirits and an increased desire for more than just forehead kisses, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava continued their walk back to the village, riding on Sprinter, Akira, Edme and Artemis when they got tired.