Chronicles of the Dragoniters
"Normal Speech"/ "Telepathic Speech"/ Thinking/ Both Telepathic and Normal Speech
Disclaimer: I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon Books or Movies! They do not belong to me! Instead, they belong to Cressida Cowell and Dean Deblois!
CotD: Dawn of the Dragoniters
Edited: 16/10/2017
Chapter 5: Arrow, Flying, Dragon Forms and Kisses
It had started to rain before the four Soul-Mates and their Familiars reached the village and so they had to rush to the Great Hall while being sheltered by Aniu, Nava, Edme and Artemis's wings. They made it inside and closed the doors behind them, wringing the water off their skin and out of their hair clothes, feathers and fur. Gobber, Thuggory, Camicazi, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were already seated at a table with bowls and plates of food and tankards of water in front of them as they talked about that day's class. "All right, where did Thuggory and Camicazi go wrong?" Gobber asked. "I made myself too much of a target without thinking things through." Thuggory muttered. "And I was not paying attention to the Gronckle so it got me." Camicazi admitted.
"No, you two were great. That was so Thuggory and Camicazi." Snotlout butted in. "Snotlout, for once in your life, try to use your brain." Hiccup said as he, Astrid, Aniu and Nava took seats beside Fishlegs and facing the other teens. "Instead of being a gods-damned, dumbass muttonhead." Astrid snapped but Snotlout grinned at her despite her insult and furious tone of voice. "You like my ass, don't you, Astrid?" He flirted, waggling his eyebrows. Astrid punched him in his face across the table and knocked the bulky boy off his seat from the sheer strength behind the blow. "Snotlout, you are utterly disgusting!" Nava exclaimed. "There is no way we would ever like your body!" Aniu snarled. Caruso and Stryker instantly began calming the two girls down by sending calming waves and thoughts across their Bond.
"Thuggory and Camicazi are right, each and every one of you have to think things through and pay attention to everything that is going on so you are not caught off guard by surprise. You need to be tough on yourselves, live and breathe this stuff including studying and reading this book: the Dragon Manual." Gobber placed an ancient, thick, worn-out book covered in hardened leather with a symbol of a dragon and the book's title and author stamped on the front. "Everything we know about every dragon we know of." Thunder boomed and lightning flashed outside and Gobber, as well as many other Vikings glanced at the doors warily. After a few minutes, they calmed down and went to their meals and conversations. "No attacks tonight, study up." Gobber and walked away from the table out of the doors of the Great Hall.
"Wait, you mean read?" Tuffnut asked in dismay. "Reading is so boring." Ruffnut complained. "MY uncle Thomas would have a heart attack if he heard you say that, Ruffnut." Aniu said. "But reading is vital to learning and learning is vitally important to life." Nava said. "Why read books when you can just kill the stuff the books tell you stuff about?" Snotlout asked. "Because, they can tell you everything you need to know about them." Hiccup said. "That includes telling you how to kill them." Astrid added. "I have read this book a dozen times. There is this two-legged, wingless that can run at nearly the speed of sound and paralyse victims with just one sting of venom from their tails. They travel in packs and are extremely dangerous." Fishlegs gushed, always eager to share his dragon knowledge. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava were unable to resist smiling at him.
But Ruffnut and Tuffnut both stared at Fishlegs blankly. "Yeah, that sounds great but there was a chance I was going to read that book." Tuffnut said. "As cool as that sounds, I am out to do some fun stuff." Ruffnut added. "You guys read, I will go and practice killing stuff." Snotlout and walked out of the Hall with Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs following, leaving Thuggory and Camicazi with Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava. "We will read it another time. Bye, guys." Camicazi said. "We better get some sleep for tomorrow." Thuggory added and both teens walked out of the Hall, leaving Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava alone with the book. Once the doors closed, the four Soul-Mates turned to each other. Caruso, Sorena, Zena and Stryker perched on the table and Edme, Artemis, Sprinter and Akira lay down on the floor. "I guess the four of us will read it together." Nava said. "I will get some more candles." Aniu said. "It is best if we read what this book has to say about dragons." Astrid said. "So we can learn what is right about dragons and what is wrong about dragons." Hiccup added.
They waited for Aniu to get some more candles, set them up and light them on fire before opening the book to the page containing the contents and chapters. "Dragon Classifications. Sharp Class, Fear Class, Mystery Class, Tidal Class, Snow Class, Stoker Class, Boulder Class and Strike Class." Hiccup read aloud. "Thunderdrum. This reclusive creature inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled, this dragon produces a concussive sound that can kill a group of men from a dozen feet away. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight. Timberjack: This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight."
As they read onwards, they saw gruesome pictures of Vikings being killed by Dragons and the other way around. "Gronckle, Zippleback, Skrill, Boneknapper, Whispering Death. Burns its victims, buries its victims, chokes its victims, turns its victims inside-out. Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous, kill on sight, kill on sight." Aniu read. Finally, they arrived at the page they had been looking for. "The Night Fury. Speed: unknown. Size: unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance is to hide and pray that it doesn't find you." Other than those words, the page was blank. "Oh, this book is not very informative. They have not studied very much at all. " Astrid stated the obvious. Hiccup took out his notebook, opened it to the drawing of the Night Fury and lay it down on the book. Ever since he had began dreaming of Toothless and then finally meeting him and Bonding with him, Hiccup had began wondering and wanting to know exactly what dragons were like, what they did, how they did, what with and when they did it.
Apparently, Aniu had been reading his thoughts. "Dragons are a lot like Humans, Hiccup. They are complex creatures and live complex, sophisticated lives. Not all dragons are good, some of them are evil and others are neutral." She told him and Astrid. "A lot of dragons do bad things such as killing, raping, stealing, destroying and torturing but that does not mean all dragons are evil. Many of them are victims of cruelty from other dragons." Nava added.
They thought fondly of their dragon friends. In fact, there were many sentient beings who befriended dragons, formed bonds with them and rode them. The Elves, both Middle-Earthian and Alagaesian, had the highest number of Dragon Riders among them but they preferred to remain hidden, secretive and elusive, for fear of anyone with malicious intent trying to gain their knowledge and enslave dragons. There were those who saw everyone else as inferior and wished to enslave them. Hags-Fiends were the most horrific of all known evil beings. Their cruelty, malice, hatred, lust, greed, rage and sadism knew no bounds or limits. They sought to conquer the world and make it theirs, even if they had to exterminate all the Free Folk of the world. Free Folk being every race, species and culture in the world except for them and very few select others. They continued reading until late in the night until their exhaustion overcame them and Hiccup took the Book of Dragons with him as they walked to their houses, contacting their Soul-Dragons and telling them of what they had learned before falling into a deep slumber.
Out on the ocean between Berk and the believed location of the Dragon's Nest, Stoick and ten ships containing dozens of Berkian Viking Warriors sailed through the calm waters. A wall of fog thick enough to prevent anyone, even those with the keenest of eyes, from seeing what lay beyond, lay between them and the route to Helheim's Gate and then after that, the Dragon's Nest. But Stoick had a feeling, a deep, strong feeling that the Dragon's Nest would soon be found and once it was found, he would call all of Berk's Allies to arms and sail to the Dragon's Nest with a vast armada of ships and thousands of warriors from every Tribe ready to finally destroy the Dragons Nest and slay every dragon who dared to raid their villages, destroy their homes, burn their fields and mercilessly slaughter every Human they came across.
Stoick knew they were close and sailing towards the right place but how close and the right direction remained unknown. "I can almost smell them, they are close." He said as he stared at the wall of fog ahead of them. "Steady, steady. Take us in." No sooner was the order given than the men and women followed it. They too were desperate to find the Dragon's Nest and end the war. Despite being warriors, three hundred years of war, of constant raids and attacks, of constant death and heartbreak, the entire War had taken a major toll on them and on Berk. There used to be thousands of Vikings in the Berkian Tribe but over three hundred years of constant raids and attacks by dragons had lowered their numbers down to numbering only in the five thousand. "Hard to port for Helhiem's Gate." Spitelout Jorgenson, Stoick's half brother from his father's side, ordered. The Vikings on the other ships repeated the command. They had barely entered Helheim's Gate when they were attacked by a flock of dragons.
Almost instantly, it was carnage, death, blood, pain and chaos as dozens of dragons attacked the fleet, burning ships, killing Vikings and sending them to the very depths of the oceans and to the Halls of Valhalla. "Form up! Ready the catapults! Take aim and fire! Protect yourselves and everyone else!" Stoick screamed. No sooner had he given his orders then a barrage of Deadly Nadder spikes shot though the air and through the backs, chests, heads and stomachs of a line of warriors, ending their lives instantly as blood sprayed and their bodies fell to the floor, choking on their own blood and gurgling as death claimed them. Stoick could hear screams, shouts and explosions from everywhere and he bitterly acknowledged that search would be the same as any other. Roaring a battle cry, Stoick sank the blade of his axe into a Monstrous Nightmare's neck and ripped it out as hot, crimson dragon blood poured over him. "Fight!" He screamed, rushing at a Deadly Nadder.
Back on Berk in the Dragon Training Arena, the trainees were up against a male Deadly Nadder with forest green scales, golden underscales, eyes, horns, spikes and tail markings and Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava instantly knew this dragon was Arrow, the same dragon Stormfly had requested, more like begged, them to save. Knowing they could not free any dragon in the arena until Dragon Combat Training was over and they had graduated, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava vowed to prevent any dragon from dying in the arena until they worked something out to end the War. Gobber and a team of Vikings had brought in wooden walls to serve as a maze and they were supposed to avoid the Deadly Nadder and bring him down with a sneak attack.
While Thuggory, Camicazi, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were focusing on Arrow, Hiccup was trying to get a chance to talk to Gobber while Astrid, Aniu and Nava were trying to get him to help them set up a trap that would capture Arrow and end the class without him getting injured. So far, he had not come anywhere near them, apparently considering the other teens a bigger threat and he had not yet smelled Stormfly or any other of the other dragon's scents on him but Astrid knew once he smelled Stormfly's scent, he would go for her. "So I noticed that the Dragon Manual was not very informative. It did not have enough information of dragons. Has anyone ever tried to learn more about dragons than just killing them...whoa!" Hiccup cried out in shock as Arrow, having noticed them, shot a blast of fire at the four Soul-Mates but luckily, Nava threw out his arms and wings and a thick, sturdy wall of ice shot up out of the ground, forming a shield wall. Arrow screeched in shock then narrowed his eyes as he stared at them but Camicazi, who was then wielding a bow and arrows, shot an arrow at him and Arrow screeched in pain as the arrow grazed his wing. Angered, he chased after the Bog-Burglar girl, forgetting about Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava.
Knowing they were too vulnerable staying where they were, the four Soul-Mates began running. "Focus, everyone! You lot are not even trying! Today, it is all about attack! Deadly Nadders are quick, strong and light on their feet. It is your jobs to be quicker, smarter and lighter!" Gobber yelled. Fishlegs ran into the male Nadder's line of vision and the dragon hissed, firing deadly spikes from his tail at him. "I am really beginning to question your teaching methods!" Fishlegs screamed and ran as the spikes imbedded themselves into his shield. "Look for their blind spots, every dragon has one." Gobber told them. "Find it, hide in it and strike." Ruffnut and Tuffnut found themselves right in front of Arrow who sniffed, trying to find them but the two twins were in his blind spot so he could not see them. Ruffnut got a whiff of her brother's scent and grimaced in disgust. "Uh, do you ever bathe?." she gagged. "If you do not like it, just get your own blind spot." Tuffnut replied. "How about I give you one?" Ruffnut snarled at him. The Deadly Nadder heard and blasted them with his fire, luckily Tuffnut managed to raise his shield in time, saving both himself and his twin sister from a fiery death. Because of the number of dragons with fire hot enough to burn through wood, flesh, bone, stone and metal, the Vikings of Berk, as well as many other Viking Tribes, forged their shields through a particular method. First, they made the frame of a shield out of wooden cut into a large circle then covered it with metal which was then covered with a special tar resistant to even the hottest of fires, depending on how much tar there was. Sometimes the tar could not be burned or penetrated even by Changewing acid and weapons could sometimes get stuck in the shield if they were hit hard enough.
"Blind spot, yes. Deaf spot, not so much." Gobber snickered as Thuggory, Camicazi and Snotlout ran past him followed by Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava. "Has anyone ever really bothered to truly study dragons instead of only focusing on how to kill them?" Nava asked. "Surely someone has. The more you know, the better." Aniu said. "Who knows, dragons may be way smarter than we give them credit for." Astrid mused. "For example, has anyone ever truly seen, let us just say...a Night Fury?" Hiccup inquired. "No one has ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!" Gobber yelled at Hiccup. "I know, but hypothetically..." Hiccup said before Astrid tapped his shoulder. "Guys, get down. It is coming." Camicazi hissed from where she, Thuggory and Snotlout were hiding behind a wall support. Sensing Arrow approaching their position, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava hid behind wall supports just as the male Deadly Nadder came into view.
Astrid peeked out from behind the wall support and then somersaulted across the path to the next wall, gesturing for Hiccup, Aniu, Nava, Camicazi, Thuggory then Snotlout to follow her. One by one, they did so but unfortunately Hiccup, who was the last one to go across, accidently misjudged the distance and the weight of his shield caused to fall in plain view of Arrow who saw him and snapped his jaws at the Viking but Hiccup scrambled out of the way and Astrid reached out, grabbed his vest and pulled him close to her. Seeing an opportunity to show off, Snotlout smirked, stood up, shoved Astrid and Hiccup aside and walked out in front of Arrow. "Watch out, babe, I will take care of this." He arrogantly flirted at Astrid and threw his mace at Arrow but it missed and Arrow laughed at him. "Come on! Is that the best you can do, fat, puny, bulky Viking!" the male Deadly Nadder sneered.
Astrid glared at Snotlout who hastened to defend himself. "The sun was in my eyes, Astrid. What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I can do that but I do not have the time right now." Arrow screeched and ran after them, knocking down walls as he did so. "Night Furies probably take the daytime off and are active at night. You know, like a cat. Has anyone ever seen one napping? Maybe they hide themselves really well!" Hiccup said. "Hiccup!" Gobber, Astrid, Aniu and Nava yelled, warning him. Hiccup turned around and saw Arrow running straight at him. Hiccup attempted to get out of the way but accidently fell to the ground. Seeing Hiccup go down, Astrid, Aniu and Nava ran over and stood in front of him, blocking Hiccup from Arrow's view. Taking up defensive positions in front of their Soul-Mate, Astrid, Aniu and Nava raised their axe, bow with an arrow nocked and battle sticks.
Arrow skidded to a halt and prepared to blast them with fire but Aniu shot an arrow which flew by his snout, grazing Arrow's cheek. The male Deadly Nadder moved his head to the side to avoid the arrow and that gave Nava the opportunity to run up to Arrow and club him over his head with his Battle Sticks. Arrow yelped in pain with each blow and Astrid threw bolas at him, tying Arrow up and sending him crashing to the ground. "Kill that son of a bitch, Astrid!" Snotlout yelled. "No, I do not think I will. We may need him for another class. Right, Gobber?" Astrid refused. "That is right, lass. You lot did a brilliant job. This one is the only Deadly Nadder we have got and I do not think we will be able to catch another for a while." Gobber said and called for a team of Vikings to move Arrow back into his cage. That was when he got a whiff of Stormfly's scent on Astrid and began struggling. "Tranquilise him!" A Viking ordered and another Viking got out a blowgun and shot a tranquiliser dart into Arrow's neck. The male Deadly Nadder fell limp but they knew he was still alive judging by his expanding and contracting sides.
Giving the trainees time to regroup and refresh, Gobber gave them a speech and praised them on their performances before sending them home again and calling a team of Vikings to help him clean up the arena. Accepting praise and compliments from their classmates, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava walked out of the arena with their fellow trainees and separated from them, walking over to Caruso, Edme, Zena, Artemis, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker and Akira, mounting the Dire Wolves and Reindeer, waiting for the Barn Owls and Golden Eagles to hover in the air then riding into the forest to the Cove, chatting along the way. "So how do you guys think Stormfly will react when we tell her about Arrow?" Hiccup asked. "I definitely do not want to tell her I hit Arrow over his head with my Battle Sticks. "Nava said. "Or I nearly shot him with an arrow which by the way, is also his namesake." Aniu said. "I am sure Stormfly will understand when you three tell her why we had to do what we did." Astrid told them.
"She will be relieved when we tell her Arrow is unharmed." Akira told her. "And she will be most excited to train you into morphing into your Dragon Form." Stryker added. "I will be most excited to finally see Hiccup in his Night Fury Form." Sprinter said. "As will I and seeing Hiccup flying will be most joyful." Sorena added. Soon, they arrived at the Cove and made their way down the path into the valley. That time, Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle were waiting for them. They made their way over to their Soul-Riders and sniffed them over, checking for injuries. "We are all right, bud. We are fine." Hiccup assured Toothless. "I rather check for myself, my Soul-Rider." The Night Fury huffed and backed away. "Who did you fight in the arena today?" Stormfly asked anxiously. "It was Arrow. We knew who he was thanks to your descriptions." Astrid told her, gently stroking Stormfly's closest cheek.
"Is he all right? Did he get hurt?" Heatwave asked. "Camicazi shot an arrow which grazed his wing..." Aniu began. "Snotlout threw his made at him but missed..." Nava said. "Aniu had to shoot an arrow which grazed his cheek when he came after me..." Hiccup continued. "I had to hit him several times over his head with Battle Sticks." Nava added. "And I threw bolas at him and some Vikings carted him off back into his cage." Astrid said. "He also nearly took almost all of us out too..." Aniu said. "but thankfully, none of us were hurt." Nava continued. "We do not know who we will be fighting against tomorrow..." Hiccup said. "And Gobber wants us to join him on an abandoned catapult for dinner." Astrid concluded. The four Soul-Mates glanced at each other, shocked that they were once again finishing each other's sentences. Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle were smiling and staring at them in amusement.
"Come on, let us go. The others are waiting for us." Toothless said and turned around, walking into the trees. "So, are Astrid and I going to learn how to shape-shift into our Dragon Forms today?" Hiccup asked. "We will teach you but there is something very special we must do first." Stormfly said, excitement gleaming in her yellow eyes. "Soul-Dragon/ Riders have been doing this for centuries. It is a very special tradition." Heatwave said. "As we are Soul-Dragon/ Riders, we too are going to fellow this tradition." Icicle added.
\When they reached the campsite, Nightus and Onyx were wrestling, Violet was playing with her elder brother Spark, Magnus, Spike, Sashara, Solarfira and Lunastar were basking in the sunlight, Darkfang, Lilith and Amaya were taking a daytime nap and Bolt, Electra, Elenia and Softmane were looking for food.
Toothless roared to get their attention and Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu, Nava and their Familiars jumped. "Look who is here, everyone." Toothless said, grinning. Cheering, Nightus, Onyx and Violet and ran over to them, the others followed at a more, discreet, relaxed pace. "So what is this very special tradition? What does it involve and what happens during it?" Astrid asked. "I will give a clue. We are Soul-Dragon/ Riders and what do Dragon Riders do?" Stormfly asked slyly. "Does this mean we are finally going to ride on your backs?" Aniu gasped. "Yes, indeed, my Soul-Rider. The first ride is done bareback which means the dragon is saddle-less." Heatwave told her, smiling. "Only the Rider's clothing separates skin from scale. Saddles come later." Icicle added. "And will Hiccup and Astrid learn how to shape-shift after our first flights together?" Nava asked.
"Yes, indeed, Nava. In fact, the first flight between a Soul-Dragon and a Soul-Rider unlocks the Rider's Dragon Form and they began shape-shifting mid-flight." Elenia said. "Then comes learning how to fly as a dragon once they have fully shape-shifted and achieved their Dragon Form." Solarfira sang. "Learning how to breathe the breath weapon of their Soul-Dragon comes after." Lunastar said. "After that is learning how to utilise the natural abilities of their Soul-Dragon such as shooting tail spikes." Softmane added. "To witness such an occasion is a great honour." Darkfang said. "Especially when one such dragon is our own littermate-brother." Lilith marvelled. "Peace is closer than ever. I cannot wait." Amaya trembled in excitement.
"This ceremony was usually overseen by an elder, more experienced Soul-Dragon/ Rider pair who had trained, mentored, supervised and knew the new Soul-Dragon/ Rider personally, usually a relative or friend." Softmane said. "But since there are none around who know of us, we shall oversee as we have known you eight since you first met your Soul-Dragon/ Rider. It is truly a great honour and privilege to oversee such an event. Now let us begin.." Lunastar said. "Soul-Riders Hiccup Haddock, Astrid Hofferson, Aniu Namara'sdaughter and Nava Theodore'sson please mount Toothless the Night Fury, Stormfly the Deadly Nadder, Heatwave the Summer Dragon and Icicle the Winter Dragon." Solarfira began. Nearly overwhelmed by excitement and nerves, Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle lowered themselves to the ground and Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava, instinctively knowing where to climb on and sit, mounted Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle. Hiccup, Aniu and Nava sat in the small hollows where Toothless, Heatwave and Icicle's necks joined the rest of their bodies and Astrid sat on Stormfly's back behind her wings. "Today marks a very special occasion in the lives of dragons and their Soul-Riders. Today, you will fly into the sky for the first time as Soul-Dragons/ Riders. May the blessings of your gods and Draco be with you." Elenia said. "Now, Soul-Dragons, spread your wings. Soul-Riders, hold on and grip with your knees and hands and fly." The Griffin, Phoenix, Alicorn and Hippogriff announced.
As one, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava leaned in close to their dragons' backs, gripping their sides with their knees and holding on to a spinal ridge or spike with their hands. As one, Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle raised their wings and with a powerful thrust down, lifted into the air, flying higher with every beat of their wings, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava held on, adrenaline pulsing through their veins with every beat of their dragons' wings. In only a few dozen or so wing-beats and seconds, Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle cleared the top of the Cove's walls and flew over the trees with Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava on their backs. Elenia, Solarfira, Lunastar and Softmane flew behind them as they flew at incredible speeds over the trees. At their dragon's urgings, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava focused on their movements, wing-beats, speeds, the tightening of their muscles, their breathing and their heart beats.
Through their Soul-Bond, Hiccup and Astrid could sense that even though Aniu and Nava often flew with their own wings and how much pure joy and the sense of freedom it gave them but they had not been doing much of it lately so they could stay by their sides, Aniu and Nava already absolutely loved flying with Heatwave and Icicle on their backs and relished and revelled in the sense of pure joy, freedom and companionship. Hiccup and Astrid then realized just how much they were beginning to love and enjoy flying but they had barely even done anything yet other than fly out of the Cove and over the trees leading to the cliff above the ocean. Feeling their minds tugging at each other's, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava opened their minds and let them intermingle so they could share each other's thoughts, feelings and memories. Then, when they felt Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle's minds tugging at theirs, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava opened their minds to their dragons and in only a matter of seconds, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava minds were open to their Soul-Mates and their Soul-Dragons.
It was a surreal experience in Hiccup's opinions as his mind mixed with Toothless, Astrid, Aniu and Nava's. He could hear their thoughts, feel their feelings and sense their memories. Toothless's mind was so vast, complex, intricate and alien. It was as if he was flying in a vast ocean of thoughts, feelings, memories, emotions and instincts. Through Toothless's mind, he learned more about his dragon's personality and what made Toothless who and what he was. Hiccup knew Toothless was also in his mind and learning everything he could about his Soul-Rider. Normally, anyone would feel scared, terrified, angry or even violated knowing someone else was in their mind but with Toothless in his mind, Hiccup felt even more connected to his Soul-Dragon as did Toothless to his Soul-Rider and they were both awed and humbled. Neither of them ever imagined their Soul-Bonded's species could be so smart, resourceful, complex and fascinating. In that moment, they swore they would learn everything they could about the other species.
Astrid howled in excitement and Hiccup, Aniu and Nava echoed her howl, although the two Elf-Fae's howls were more wolf-like in comparison thanks to their Dire Wolf Forms. Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle roared in joy, echoing their Soul-Riders' emotions and then they tilted and rolled completely around. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava yelped as the world spun in a dizzying circle and vertigo clutched them in its grasp. Despite how often Aniu and Nava barrel rolled in mid air while flying with their own wings, vertigo still made its presence known on the backs of their dragons even after they had gotten used to it by themselves. Hiccup and Astrid were less fortunate and struggled to regain hold of their dragons. "Do not do that! I thought I was going to fall off!" Astrid yelled. "Hey! A little warning next time, please! And perhaps even a saddle." Hiccup said. "You must become used to it as that is a manoeuvre dragons and Elf-Faes do every time they fly." Stormfly said. "We will not be able to give a warning every time we are about to barrel roll so you must know by reading our thoughts, feeling our body movements including the tightening of our muscles and sensing what and when we are about to do." Toothless added.
Up ahead, the trees were replaced by open air and they knew they were rapidly approaching a cliff. Soon it came into view and Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle grinned but Hiccup and Astrid tensed. "Do not worry, this will be fun and exhilarating." Aniu told them. "We will not let anything bad happen to you." Nava added. Soon, they were flying over the cliff. "Hold on and relax!" The four dragons told them and suddenly folded their wings and dove over the cliff with the sheer force and speed of the wind preventing them from even opening their mouths. Their Soul-Riders held on tightly and trusted their Soul-Dragons to keep them safe. As the ocean drew nearer and nearer, Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle snapped their wings open at the last minute, pulling out of the dive with their draconian strength.
Levelling out, Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle shot across over the surface of the water so fast Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava were unable to speak then slanted toward the sky, shot up and continued back over into a giant loop. "Yeah! Whoo hoo!" Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava shouted in excitement, revelling in the thrill of flying on dragon-back. Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle flew to a maze of sea stacks nearby, intent on flying through them like an obstacle course. "Lean with us whenever we make a turn." The four dragons ordered as the first sea stack drew closer and closer. And so Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava braced themselves and leaned as Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle flew around the first sea stack but they leaned a little too far, even Aniu and Nava as this was their first time flying on dragon-back and they struggled to right themselves.
"Not that much!" Their Soul-Dragons scolded as they slalomed around more sea stacks. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava finally managed to pull themselves upright on their dragons and gripped their sides with their knees, only leaning as much was necessary whenever Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle made a turn. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava could sense how much concentration Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle had to put into flying through a maze of sea stacks. As they gained confidence, they gained speed but still flew slow enough to make it through the sea stack maze without crashing into or clipping anything. Soon, they were out of the maze and itching to see what else they could do. "Come on! Let us see what else you guys have got!" Hiccup yelled, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
"You want speed? Here we go!" Toothless roared and shot forward over the ocean with a sudden burst of incredibly fast speed. Through their Soul-Bond, Astrid, Aniu and Nava could sense what Hiccup wanted and so expected it, following them on Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle as fast as their dragons could fly until they caught up. Hiccup was shocked at how fast Toothless could fly until he realized that he should have expected it as Toothless was a Night Fury. Toothless slowed down so he could spin around to fly back closer to Berk. "We do not want to be caught flying too far away from Berk now, do we. And besides, you must always slow down when making a turn when you are flying." He said. "Hey, wait for us, Toothless! You are flying too fast for us to keep up!" Stormfly roared. "Sorry, Storm!" Toothless replied and hovered in mid air to wait for Stormfly, Heatwave, Icicle ad their Soul-Riders.
Once they caught up, the four dragons turned around to fly back closer to the island then increased their speed, flying up high into the sky and spinning wing around wing. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava struggled to keep their eyes on the sky and their stomachs settled. "When we are truly one, we are more powerful than we will ever be alone!" Icicle roared. "That is why we must stay together whenever we can and fight as one." Heatwave said. "If we do not, we are in more danger than we will ever be when together." Stormfly added. "That makes sense but we cannot spend every waking moment with you guys until the war is over." Astrid said in everyone's heads. "People will get suspicious if the four of us and our Familiars keep on vanishing and are nowhere around." Hiccup said through the Link that connected his mind to everyone else's.
"Quite right, Hiccup but I am sure you four can make up some excuses and disappear when no one is around." Toothless said. "Just say you four are training and exploring in the forest and showing Aniu and Nava around Berk." Stormfly said. "Speaking of whom, I would love to see them fly with their own wings." Heatwave said. "Yes, I would love that too. Aniu, Nava, would you two like to fly with your own wings?" Icicle asked. "You read my mind. I would love to show you lot how I fly. Aniu, are you with me?" Nava asked. "Of course I am, Nava. It is about time we showed them how WE fly." Aniu replied gamely. "Prepare to be amazed." Both Elf-Faes said and leapt off their Soul-Dragons' backs, drawing gasps from Hiccup and Astrid.
Aniu and Nava dived rapidly down to the water and then fanned their wings open, catching an updraft and then flying back up to them. They flew around their two other Soul-Mates and their Soul-Dragons, leaving a trail of snow and fire in their wake. Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle watched them in awe as Aniu and Nava flew, flipped, spun, barrel-rolled, corkscrewed and dove through the sky, the sunlight reflecting brilliantly off their shiny, soft wings. As they watched Aniu and Nava fly, Hiccup and Astrid felt their newly-gained magic stir and awaken. Aniu and Nava sensed it and flew back to them just in time to see Hiccup and Astrid's eyes turn to dragon eyes, gaining slitted pupils, more vivid colour and a more draconian look. Hiccup's eyes were those of a Night Fury like Toothless and Astrid's eyes were those of a Deadly Nadder like Stormfly.
"What is happening to us?" Hiccup asked, his voice growing more draconian, more Night Fury-ish as he lifted his hands to his face and letting the others see black Night Fury scales spreading out over his face from around his eyes and spreading out over his hands from his palms. "Hiccup! You are shape-shifting into your Night Fury Form!" Toothless said urgently, voice breathless with excitement. "I am feeling it too. I have blue dragon scales on my hands and face!" Astrid said, her voice also turning more draconian as blue Deadly Nadder scales grew over the skin on her face and hands. "We must get you two back to the Cove with all haste! Now!" Stormfly roared.
And so they flew back to the Cove as fast as they could as Hiccup and Astrid slowly shape-shifted into their Dragon Forms. By the time they landed, much to the shock of the inhabitants as they had not expected them back so soon and in such haste, Hiccup was half-Night Fury and half-human and Astrid was half Deadly Nadder and half-human, drawing gasps from the others. Hiccup's hands and feet had turned into scaled Night Fury paws with claws and black scales covered nearly all his body, quickly overtaking skin and cloth. Sensor plates and ears grew out of Hiccup's head, a pair of Night Fury wings and a Night Fury had sprouted from his back and rear end, his human teeth and tongue were replaced by a Night Fury's teeth and tongue and most of all Hiccup's senses and instincts greatly improved on the flight back to the Cove to better suit his Dragon Form.
Neither Hiccup or Astrid had their clothes ripped, torn or otherwise damaged as they slowly shape-shifted, which they were extremely grateful for as they were not ready for Aniu and Nava or anyone else to see them naked. Instead, as they slowly shape-shifted, Hiccup and Astrid's clothes became a part of their Dragon Form bodies, meaning they flawlessly became dragon scales. As soon as Toothless and Stormfly, Hiccup and Astrid jumped off and moved away until there was enough space for them to morph. Toothless, Stormfly, Aniu, Nava, Heatwave, Icicle, Caruso, Edme, Zena, Artemis, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker and Akira crowded around to watch over and guide them. "Hiccup, Astrid, take deep breaths and imagine yourselves shape-shifting into your Dragon Forms." Toothless and Stormfly both said.
Hiccup and Astrid took deep breaths and Hiccup imagined himself turning into a Night Fury that looked much like Toothless while Astrid imagined herself turning into a Deadly Nadder that looked much like Stormfly. Their transformation sped up and Hiccup fell onto all fours while Astrid's arms disappeared. The transformation was over in only a few minutes and two lights flashed around Hiccup and Astrid, one emerald green and silver with bolts of lightning and tendrils of darkness and the other sapphire blue with glowing golden balls of light and flashes of energy. When they disappeared and everyone could see Hiccup and Astrid, they all gasped in awe, delight and wonder. A Night Fury stood exactly where Hiccup had been and a Deadly Nadder stood in the same place Astrid had transformed. They both looked straight at Aniu, Nava, Toothless and Stormfly. "Hey, guys!" Both of them greeted telepathically.
"Hiccup? Astrid?" Everyone asked and both dragons nodded. "How do we look?" Both of them asked. "You two look absolutely stunning. Welcome to your Dragon Forms." Toothless said. "Like true dragons. We are so proud of you two." Stormfly gushed, tears of pride welling up in her eyes. Hicucp and Astrid took good looks at themselves and each other, admiring their Dragon Forms in awe, delight and wonder. Hiccup's Night Fury Form had midnight black scales as dark as a midnight sky without stars or a moon, emerald green eyes that were more vivid and, reddish-brown spinal crests that unlike normal Night Fury spinal crests were more like metallic spikes erecting out of his back, lightning-bolt-like markings all over his body and pointed Night Fury ears and sensor plates. Everyone was honestly surprised by how different Hiccup looked from Toothless but they realized it must have been because of his Lightning/ Electricity Element.
Astrid's Deadly Nadder Form had shiny, sky blue scales with a faint golden glow, sapphire blue eyes and golden-blonde horns, tail stripes, under-scales and spinal spikes. Toothless and Stormfly moved forward to wrap their wings around Hiccup and Astrid for a few minutes then moved back to let Hiccup and Astrid shape-shift back into their Human Forms. With Aniu and Nava's guidance, Hiccup and Astrid were once again back in their Human Forms and Aniu and Nava embraced them, tears of joy flooding their eyes. That was when they felt a desire to do something they had never done before as Hiccup and Astrid, Aniu and Nava embraced. They leaned back to stare into each other's eyes then Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava leaned forward, lips meeting in their first kisses. Instantly, they felt their Soul-Bond erupt and surge through their bodies and through the air as they kissed. The moment was magical and seemed to last forever before Hiccup and Astrid, Aniu and Nava leaned away from each other to swap partners.
That time, the boys were together as were the girls. Hiccup and Nava wasted no time, as did Astrid and Aniu, leaning forward to meet their lips in kisses just as passionate and wonderful as the other kiss. For the final kiss, Hiccup and Aniu were together, as were Astrid and Nava. Their third kisses were just as amazing, passionate, wonderful and memorable as their first and second kisses. The four Soul-Mates met in a four-person embrace as they remembered kissing each other and how much they yearned to do so again. Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave, Icicle, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker, Akira, Caruso, Edme, Zena and Artemis watched and then threw back to their heads to roar, screech, howl and bray into the sky. Meanwhile, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava only had eyes for each other, smiling serenely with pure love in their eyes at each other as they thought of how much they loved one another.
Yes! Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava meet Arrow for the first time, then they fly with Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle for the first time, then Hiccup and Astrid shape-shift into their Dragon Forms for the first time AND THEN, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava KISS for the FIRST TIME! To make it clear, Hiccup and Astrid kissed each other at the same time as Aniu and Nava, then Hiccup and Nava kissed each other at the same time as Astrid and Aniu then Hiccup and Aniu kissed each other at the same time as Astrid and Nava. So, there you guys go, our favourite foursome of Soul-Mates have kissed.