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: 27.10. 2017
Chapter 6: Raven, Zippleback and Saddle Making
After their first kisses, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava were in bliss, laying side-by-side, wrapped in each other arms and wings and in a peaceful daze. All they could think about was the sight, sounds, smells, tastes and touches of their Soul-Mates from the time their lips first met all the way to that very moment. It was impossible for Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava to lay in the exact same spot and position but they made do by swapping places and positions so each Soul-Mate could get a turn snuggled up another Soul-Mate with their arms and wings around them. Currently, Aniu was snuggled up to Nava as he leaned back against a mossy log with Astrid on his other side, snuggled up to him as well. Nava had both wings wrapped around them with the girls resting their heads on his chest, completely relaxed as they sensed his calm heart-beat and gentle breathing. Hiccup was lying across their laps with his head on Astrid's lap, his thighs on Aniu's lap, lower legs and feet tucked beside her and his torso resting comfortably on Nava's lap.
Astrid was stroking Hiccup's soft reddish-brown hair and all four of them were trying not to think any embarrassing thoughts as they enjoyed their four-person snuggle-cuddle. Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave, Icicle, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker, Akira, Caruso, Edme, Zena and Artemis were acting as guards, making sure no one or nothing interrupted the four Soul-Mates as the others bustled around catching fish, hunting boars, building a campfire and cooking dinner. Edme was keeping a close eye on the four Soul-Mates, her Dire Wolf senses on full alert even as the tantalising aroma of fresh food stirred her hunger. "What is in your mind, my darling Edme?" She turned and saw Artemis lying beside her, his sapphire blue eyes fixed onto her own emerald green orbs.
"I was just thinking about how far Aniu and Nava have come since we found them lost in the forest back on Elf-Fae Island." Edme admitted. "Seems like only yesterday they were begging for rides on our backs and to go on an adventure. We were so young back then." Artemis replied. "I was overjoyed when Aniu and Nava gained their Mammal Forms and realized theirs were two Dire Wolves like us." Edme said. "I know. They were overjoyed too and that was after we Bonded as Familiars." Artemis replied. "Yes. They would always insist on running through the surrounding forest and village in their Dire Wolf Forms." Edme remembered. "I also remember when we took them to visit our clan. There they learned how to be one with their Dire Wolf Forms without forgetting they were Elf-Faes." Artemis added. The two Dire Wolves snuggled closer until they were pressed up against each other, relishing in each other's company.
They were not the only ones who had snuggled up together, Caruso and Sorena, Zena and Stryker, Sprinter and Akira and even Bolt and Lilith, Violet and Nightus were cuddling up. Movements and soft groans from the four Soul-Mates made everyone look at them as Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava woke up from their moment of bliss. "Hey, guys." Hiccup mumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "When is dinner ready?" Nava asked, stretching his back and wings. "How long have we been out?" Astrid inquired. "What time is it?" Aniu questioned. "About time you four woke up. I hope you four can sleep all night tonight." Toothless chirped, the darkness and his black scales rendering him nearly invisible despite the light of the fire. "Dinner will be ready very soon. We are just gathering the last ingredients." Icicle said, the moonlight reflecting off her pure white scales. "You four have been asleep in your blissful dazes since you four kissed late this afternoon." Stormfly told them. "That was nearly three hours ago. You four have been quite lost in each other." Stormfly mused and Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava blushed at her implications. They were nowhere near ready for any...physical intimacy.
"Stop teasing them, Stormfly." Spike scolded his sister. "Relax, brother. She was just having some fun." Magnus replied. "Having fun implying inappropriate acts and lewd suggestions." Sashara corrected him. "Dragons do that all the time." Spike complained. "I know but remember, we have innocent young minds here." Darkfang said, pointing at Violet, Nightus and Onyx. "Do not forget that we do not want to hear it tonight." Lilith scolded. "And if we do, we would have told you." Amaya said and Lilith cuffed her with her tail. "Ow." Amaya complained, glaring at her older sister. "We have to be considerate and respect others." Spark said. "I have got some good stories though. Anyone want to hear them?" Electra purred. "They better not be lewd, inappropriate, gross or scary for the youngling's sakes." Bolt said, looking at the three dragonets and hoping they were not listening or hearing a word but knowing those three, he could not be sure.
At that moment, Elenia returned with more fish. "This should be the last pile we need." She said and dropped the pile onto the ground. The fish landed and spilled over the ground, revealing a dead black and yellow striped eel in their midst. Instantly, every dragon roared and leapt away in fear. "What is wrong?" Hiccup yelled over the chaos. "Get that thing away from us!" Toothless roared. "The eel? Why?" Astrid asked. "Just do it!" Stormfly shrieked. Aniu instantly set fire to the eel, covering it in hot fire until the eel shrivelled and dissolved into a pile of ashes and flames. Once the eel was gone, Nava quickly quick put the fire out with water. Once they realised the eel was gone, every dragon calmed down, staring at the patch of scorched earth with wide, frightened eyes aqnd heavy breathing.
"It was just an eel." Aniu told them, confused as why the normally brave and courageous had panicked when they sensed the eel. "What is so bad about it?' Nava asked. "Those things make us very whenever we accidently eat one!" Heatwave said. "We go crazy and get very uncontrollable and dangerous." Icicle told them. "Our Breath Weapons get uncontrollable and destructive. One blast from say, a Summer Dragon like me can kill another Summer Dragon." Heatwave said. "We call it Dragon's Eel Pox after we learned that Humans can get it too, except that it is contagious for them." Stormfly said. "We get very hostile, disoriented, confused, skittish, frustrated and aggressive. In other words, we become very dangerous. That is why we fear and avoid eels at all costs." Toothless added.
"Everyone, I am very sorry about unknowingly bringing that eel over here. I did not even realize it was in my beak." Elenia sincerely apologized. "It is okay, Elenia. We know you did not mean to do it." Solarfira accepted. "That should serve as a lesson to never force-feed a dragon an eel unless they are immune to its affects." Lunastar lectured. "Now that everything is okay and dinner is very nearly ready, let us eat and get ready for bed." Softmane said. Everyone agreed and waited for dinner to finish cooking before they chose their servings and ate. After their meals were finished, conversations began. "So are you, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle going to teach Astrid, Aniu and Nava how to breathe our Breath Weapons and fly in our Dragon Forms tomorrow, bud?" Hiccup asked Toothless. "Yes, we will be after you four return from your Dragon Combat Training Class." He said. "And you four will have to start thinking about crafting our saddles." Stormfly said. "We will have to get your measurements and a good idea of what the saddle will look and made out of before we make them." Astrid said. "Not only that but we will have to hide them from everyone in the village." Aniu added.
"Saddle crafting usually commenced right after a dragon and a Soul-Rider's first flight." Heatwave said. "Do not worry, we will start as soon as possible once we have the right tools, measurements and materials." Nava said. "Remember, they have to be perfectly suited for everyday life and battle." Icicle added. Their conversation turned to other topics before Elenia declared it was time for sleep. Everyone chose a spot to sleep and Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava noticed the dragon siblings preferred to sleep with their bodies pressed up against each other but Toothless and Stormfly chose to sleep with their Soul-Riders who chose to sleep with their Soul-Mates, their Soul-Dragons and their Familiars. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava spread a large blanket on the ground and lay on top of it, holding each other close and pulling another blanket on top of them for warmth. Caruso, Sorena, Zena and Stryker nested on top of the log and Edme, Artemis, Sprinter and Akira slept around their Familiars with Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle around them. "Goodnight." They whispered and fell asleep.
The sun rose the next morning, pouring light and chilly morning air into the Cove and slowly waking the sleepers. Hiccup stirred and groaned, his emerald green eyes slowly opening as he became aware of two female humanoid bodies pressed against him with his arms around the one in front of him and a pair of arms and two pair of wings from the two Elf-Faes behind him. He then recognized Astrid as the one with her back pressed against his front, breathing soft, slow and peaceful. Hiccup blushed when he felt a certain part of his body pressed against Astrid's rear end and a deep red blush spread over his face as he Astrid could probably feel the problem all men were inflicted with every morning pressing against her backside. Still feeling highly embarrassed, Hiccup marvelled at how wonderful holding someone in his arms and being held by another felt. He instantly knew that was how he wanted to wake up every morning.
Hiccup knew that Aniu was the one behind him with his back pressed against her front, allowing him to feel her peaceful breathing on the back of his neck, her warm body temperature and the feel of her curves. Astrid and Aniu were both curvaceous woman, their bodies filling out nicely thanks to puberty particularly around their hips and chests but they still had a lot of growing to do before they were fully mature adult women. It made Hiccup feel self-conscious of the fact his body was still boyish and not really filled out but then he realized Nava still had a long way to go just like him. Speaking of whom, Hiccup knew Nava was the one behind Aniu and he wondered what it would be like if they fallen asleep in different positions but he knew there was a lot of time to find out and Hiccup wondered what it would be like to have either Aniu or Nava in his arms whether or not they were facing him, either Astrid or Nava right behind him and either Astrid or Aniu behind them.
Soft sighs and movements alerted him to the fact that his Soul-Mates were waking up, probably because they sensed he was awake. "Good morning, my Divine Beauty." Hiccup whispered, leaning forward to press a kiss to Astrid's cheek. "Good morning, babe." She whispered back in reply. "Good morning, Hic." Aniu whispered and Hiccup sighed and closed his eyes in bliss when he felt Aniu lean forward and kiss him on one cheek. "Good morning, Ni." He whispered. "Good morning, Valkyrie." Aniu smiled and whispered to Astrid. "Good morning, Angel." Astrid whispered to Aniu and Hiccup felt Aniu lean over him to kiss Astrid on one cheek. And so the four Soul-Mates continued to say 'good morning' to each other accompanied with a loving nickname.
Nava called Aniu beautiful and she called him handsome. Nava called Hiccup Speedo and he called him Lover Boy. Nava called Astrid gorgeous and she called him a cuddle-lover. Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave, Icicle, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker, Akira, Caruso, Edme, Zena and Artemis had already woken up and were watching them with smiles on their faces. "Good morning, Soul-Mates. It was wonderful to have you four spend the night with us. I hope this will become a regular occurrence. " Toothless greeted. "Rise and shine. It is a glorious morning and should mean an equally glorious day today, except for Dragon Combat Training. " Stormfly chimed mischievously though she muttered the last words. "Today's schedule: waiting for you four to return from Dragon Combat Training then teaching you four how to fly and breathe your Breath Weapon in your Dragon Forms and..." Heatwave was interrupted by Icicle when she swatted him with her tail. "Oh, give them a break. Let them wake up in their own time. This is only the first night they have ever spent with us." She scolded.
Toothless, Stormfly and Heatwave murmured apologies but Sorena, Stryker, Caruso and Zena, flew over and began nudging Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava, combing their hair with their beaks and nudging them with their heads. "All right, all right."/ "Geez, back off, guys." / "Fine, we are getting up now."/ "Give u a few minutes, please." The four Soul-Mates said, gently shooing them away but they were quickly replaced by Sprinter, Akira, Edme and Artemis. Despite their attempts to shoo them away as well, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava were forced to admit defeat, untangle themselves and get up. Around them, Elenia, Solarfira, Lunastar, Softmane, Darkfang, Lilith, Amaya, Nightus, Onyx, Spike, Magnus, Sashara, Bolt, Electra, Spark and Violet were also waking up and getting ready to gather breakfast.
Nightus and Onyx approached them. "We saw you four cuddling really closely last night." Onyx said. "Not even we or any of us cuddle like that." Nightus added. "I hope we did not embarrass you two." Hiccup said. "Nah, we did not, do not worry about it." Nightus said. "But still, the way you four were cuddling was so adorable." Onyx cooed. "By the way, where are your parents? Why are you two here?" Astrid asked. "Darkfang, Lilith and Amaya cannot be your parents, they are too young." Aniu added. Sad looks crossed over the two young Night Furies' faces. "Our parents...they are gone. Evregina ate them for disobeying and displeasing her. We were so young when it happened. " Onyx admitted. "Darkfang, Lilith, Toothless and Amaya took us in, raised us as their own much like Violet with her siblings." Nightus added. "We are very sorry for asking. We did not mean to make you two upset." Nava apologised. "It is all right. About time we told you anyway." Nightus said. "Besides, now you guys know more about us." Onyx chirped.
Soon, breakfast was ready and they all ate in peace around the relit camp fire. As they ate, however, four black shapes descended into the Cove on big, black wings. Almost instantly, their scents and sounds reached the Cove Campers and they all tensed, looking around until they saw the intruders who landed and approached them on foot. Darkfang, Lilith, Amaya, Bolt, Electra and Spark protectively hid Nightus, Onyx, Violet and the four Soul-Mates behind them as they took up defensive positions. "Who is there? Who are you?" Darkfang roared. "Show yourselves or we will attack!" Spark yelled. The four black shapes drew closer and everyone gasped as they saw four Night Furies, two males and two females approach them. When they saw them, Darkfang, Lilith, Toothless and Amaya's jaws dropped in shock, as did the other four Night Furies, it was obviously they recognised each other. "Raven?"/ "Toothless?"/ "Ebony?"/ "Darkfang?"/ "Crowden?"/ "Lilith?"/ "Aleron?"/ "Amaya?" The eight Night Furies asked each other in shock. Nightus and Onyx cheered and ran over to them.
"Hang on, do you guys know each other?" Bolt interjectec, shocked and confused. "Well, duh. Obviously, they do." Spark said and Bolt glared at him for the insult to his intelligence. "Toothless, who are these Night Furies?" Hiccup asked, drawing the ten Night Furies' attention to him. "Toothless, who are these people?" The female Night Fury named Raven asked. Toothless's eyes widened when he realized he had forgotten to introduce everyone. "Oh, everyone, this is Raven, her elder sister Ebony, her second eldest brother Crowden and their youngest brother Aleron." He said, gesturing at each Night Fury in turn as they were introduced. "Raven, Ebony, Crowden, Aleron, this human is my Soul-Rider Hiccup Haddock. He is from the Viking Village on this island but he knows we are not the enemies his village thinks we are. These are his three Soul-Mates Astrid Hofferson, Nava Theodore'sson and Aniu Namara'sdaughter. This is Stormfly, Astrid's Soul-Dragon, Heatwave, Aniu's Soul-Dragon and Icicle, Nava's Soul-Dragon. This is Sorena and Sprinter, Hiccup's Familiars, Stryker and Akira, Astrid's Familiars, Caruso and Edme, Aniu's Familiars and Zena and Artemis, Nava's Familiars. None of them are for eating or hunting." Toothless continued introducing then let Darkfang take over.
"This is Elenia, Solarfira, Lunastar and Softmane." He said then gave his sisters a turn. "This is Bolt, Electra, Spark and Violet." Lilith said. "And these three are Spike, Magnus and Sashara." Amaya added. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you. We have so much to tell you and you guys must have quite a bit to tell us." Raven said, smiling. She had light black scales, sky blue eyes and darker black spinal crests and spots along her wings, sides, legs, tail fins and head. "Who knew you six would gain so many friends? I guess you are quite popular. " Ebony asked rhetorically. "And who knew Toothless would get a Soul-Rider who has three Soul-Mates with 2 Familiars each?" Crowden asked. "Well, Toothless has always been quite popular. Only fitting his Soul-Ride is a Viking." Aleron added.
"What are you guys doing here? How did you four escape?" Toothless asked Raven who hesitated and began to tell them. "It was just another night in the Dragon Nest and we were avoiding Hags-Fiends in case they wanted to rape or torture but since we are Night Furies, four of the twenty Night Furies Evregina had as slaves, we usually got off lightly unless one of us seriously mess up, failed or rebelled. If any dragon, they were usually made examples of what happens when you rebel but the Hags-Fiends in the Dragon Nest regularly got bored or...wanted to satisfy an urge so some of them dragged a Deadly Nadder from her cave and began raping and torturing her in front of everyone watching, including Evregina who ate her afterwards because she liked the taste of a Deadly Nadder who had been stuffed with Hags-Fiend cum and tortured. It happened after you four escaped and no one has really noticed your disappearances anyway so this was another usual occurrence but when we saw it, we knew we had to escape. The only thing stopping us was: how? Then one night when everyone sleeping and some Hags-Fiends were doing what they usually did in those late hours, our minds suddenly became clear for the first time in our lives since Evregina enslaved and we instinctively knew how to escape so we did with four Grapple Grounders. We decided to split up in case anyone bad knew we had escaped. Somehow, we knew to come to Berk and right to this very Cove which is a beautiful hideout/ paradise by the way. And I am sure you guys know how the rest of my story is unfolding." Raven finished her tale and looked around at her audience who were hanging onto her every word.
"So, are you guys going to tell my siblings and I what has happened ever since you four disappeared from the Nest?" Raven asked. "You might want to make yourselves comfortable. This is quite a long story." Toothless said. "Oh, goodie. I love long, entertaining, mysterious stories." Raven flirted and Toothless blushed, it was obvious they had a small crush on each other but he began telling his side of the story anyway, letting Hiccup take over to tell his part. All in all, explaining everything took over an hour and Raven, Ebony, Crowden and Aleron were hooked. "Wow, you guys have been busy." Aleron marvelled. "And all of us are going to be busi-er over the next couple of weeks." Amaya replied. Suddenly, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava's Pendants heated and they lifted them up to take a closer look then looked up at the sky. When they read the time of the day that had appeared on their Pendants, the four Soul-Mates instantly knew they were going to be late for Dragon Combat Training if they did not leave quickly.
"Um, guys!" Astrid yelled. "What is it, Astrid?" Stormfly asked curiously. "The four of us have to go now." Aniu said. "Dragon Combat Training starts very soon." Nava added. "All right, we will wait for you four." Heatwave said. "Please be careful and do not get hurt." Icicle added. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava assured them they would be fine and no one, humanoid or dragon would get hurt as they gathered up their Daggers, Battle Sticks and Phoenix Tears. Waving goodbye to everyone, they walked out of the Cove with Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker, Akira, Caruso, Edme, Zena and Artemis. The trek back to the arena took them the remainder of time they had left until the next class started. "Finally, there you four are." Gobber said, relieved and it was clear he had been wondering where they were.
Thuggory, Camicazi, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were already there and Gobber led them into the arena, stopping in a line in front of a cage, walking over to the lever and leaving the trainees to wonder which dragon they would soon face. Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker, Akira, Caruso, Edme, Zena and Artemis watched from the bleachers with Fengo, Namara, Arin, Theo, Nala, Mira, Finnley and Erikin. "Today is about teamwork." Gobber announced and pulled down the lever, opening the cage doors. Cloudy, green gas instantly billowed out, accompanied by two similar growls. "Now, the Hideous Zippleback is very unique among other dragons. One head breathes gas, the other ignites it with sparks. Your job is to find out which is which and throw these bolas and nets around his heads so they cannot use their unique Breath Weapon.
The trainees were given a choice of weapons to choose from: bolas, nets, grappling hooks with chains, lassoes and hooked spears. They made their choices and quickly partnered with another trainee, taking up different positions in the arena. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava decided to split up. Hiccup went with Fishlegs, Astrid went with Camicazi, Aniu went with Ruffnut and Nava went with Thuggory, leaving Snotlout to go with Tuffnut. "Razor-sharp, serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion." Fishlegs recited nervously from where he stood back-to-back with Hiccup. "Prefers ambush attack by crushing its victims..."
"Will you please stop that. The more you distract us the more you risk your life and the lives of those around you." Hiccup hissed at him. "If that dragon shows either one of his faces, I am going to..." Snotlout bragged before he spotted movement within the gas. "There!" He and Tuffnut threw water at what they thought was the Hideous Zippleback. Two human shrieks proved it wrong. "Hey, it is us, you idiots." Ruffnut snapped. "What was that for, you muttonheads?" Aniu asked angrily."We saw both of your horns and thought you two were a dragon." Tuffnut said, snickering. "Not that there's anything wrong with looking like a dragon." Snotlout added, spiking Aniu and Ruffnut's anger. Furious, they stormed over and Aniu punched Snotlout in his face and Ruffnut did the same with her twin brother, causing both dim-witted males to fall to the ground.
Thanks to her horns, Aniu could sense a dragon sneaking closer but before she could Snotlout and Tuffnut, they were both pulled kicking and screaming into the mist. Ruffnut tried to help them but Aniu held out an arm to stop her. "Wait." She whispered. Because of her highly enhanced hearing, Aniu could hear Snotlout and Tuffnut screaming louder than the others even though it sounded like the Hideous Zippleback was only roughing them up with no intention of hurting them, although to everyone else except Nava, Hiccup and Astrid, the dragon was actually hurting. A couple of minutes later, the Hideous Zippleback decided to let Snotlout and Tuffnut and they ran screaming out of the fog to safety away from the two-headed dragon, their weapons forgotten. "Oh, I am hurt! I am very much hurt!" Tuffnut screamed. "What about me?! I was nearly killed by that thing!" Snotlout shouted.
"Chances of survival are dwindling into single numbers now." Fishlegs said nervously. A Zippleback's head emerged from the fog and looked at Fishlegs who fumbled with his net before trying to throw it over the head...but it missed and fell to the ground. The Zippleback head looked down at the net, then at Fishlegs, snorted in amusement and decided to have some more fun with another human. Green gas billowed from his jaws and no matter how hard Fishlegs tried to gather some courage and stand his ground, his fear and panic overwhelmed him and he ran away to Snotlout and Tuffnut as the gas was shot at him, leaving Hiccup by himself. "Fishlegs!" Gobber yelled before the second head appeared and looked at Hiccup, spitting sparks. The gas cleared away, letting them see the Zippleback clearly. It was a male with deep green scales, dark red markings, horns, spinal crests and yellow-blonde underscales.
"Now, Hiccup!" Gobber yelled and Hiccup threw his bola but it missed and fell to the ground. "Oh, come on." He groaned, feigning disappointment and frustration at not being able to bola the dragon despite it being right in front of him. The Zippleback heads smirked then roared at him, spreading his wings for intimidation and making Hiccup fall to the ground, scrambling away. "Hiccup!" Gobber, Astrid, Aniu, Nava, Thuggory and Camicazi yelled. Getting an idea, Hiccup stood up and walked towards the two-headed dragon with his hands outstretched."Back, back, back." He repeated and for some seemingly inexplicable reason, the Zippleback began retreating back into his cage. Through their connection, Astrid, Aniu and Nava caught onto Hiccup's plan and grinned. "Now, do not make me tell you again. Yes, that is right. Back into your cage. Now think about what you've done." Hiccup sneakily removed an eel from his vest and threw it into the cage, in front of the Zippleback who backed away to the back of the cage in fear.
Hiccup closed the doors and turned around to see Gobber and the other trainees staring at him in shock except for Astrid, Aniu and Nava who were smiling knowingly in approval. "Okay, so are we done? Because there is some things I need to do. I will see you guys tomorrow!" Hiccup said and ran out of the arena with Astrid, Aniu and Nava right behind him leaving Thuggory, Camicazi, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut staring after him suspiciously. Once they were out of the arena, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava ran over to their Familiars, Fengo, Namara, Arin, Theo, Nala and Mira, knowing they wanted to talk to them. Aniu and Nava greeted their parents and younger siblings with hugs and let them do the same with Hiccup and Astrid before walking through the village to Aniu's Family House. Sprinter, Akira, Edme and Artemis waited outside as the humanoids and four birds entered the house and took seats in the living room. Namara sat down with a relieved sigh, glad to be off her swollen, aching feet and resting her hands on her equally swollen, aching belly. Fengo sat down beside his wife on the same couch with Arin on his mother's other side. Theo, Nala and Mira took another couch for themselves as did Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava. "I noticed you four did not com back last night. Were you staying with your Soul-Dragons?" Namara asked. "Yes, we were and we have much to tell you." Aniu said. "Very well, tell away." Fengo said and so Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava told them everything they had not yet told them such as Hiccup and Astrid's newfound Dragon Forms which made them very happy to hear, their first flights, their first kisses, which them even more joyful and everything else.
When they finished, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nav sat back and let them process it all then ask questions to which they answered the best they could. "Hey, Ni, when can we go meet Heatwave for the first time?" Arin asked. "I do not know but I will talk to him and ask what he thinks is best and not only that but people might begin noticing us and perhaps even you guys disappearing every afternoon and some nights." Aniu said. "If they do, they will begin getting suspicious and asking questions and that might even lead to them discovering our dragons before we can create a plan and put it into place." Nava added. "Plus, we most definitely do not want to catch the attention of the Hags-Fiends and Evregina. If they discover us, they will attack Berk, capture us and it will be over for everyone in this village." Hiccup said. "That is why we must proceed slowly, subtly and with caution so that means the fewer people who know, the safer we will be." Astrid said.
"Everyone you four say makes a lot of sense." Theo admitted. "But what will happen if something goes wrong?" Nala asked anxiously. "I do not know, Mum, I just do not know." Nava said. "Neither do we but we will figure something out in the end." Aniu said optimistically, Nava smiled, pulled Aniu closer to him and kissed her on her lips which she reciprocated. Grinning, Hiccup and Astrid shared a lip kiss, much to the delight of Fengo, Namara, Arin, Theo, Nala and Mira who happily hugged them when they separated. When they let go, Nava grinned at Hiccup and pulled him in for their second kiss, as did Astrid and Aniu. Then when they separated, Hiccup and Aniu kissed, as did Astrid and Nava. The four Soul-Mates were smiling brightly when they separated, recalling how they had nearly melted into each kiss and it honestly made them want to kiss every opportunity they had.
"So you four are together now as a foursome?" Namara asked. "Yep." Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava chirped. "Well, I was wondering when you four would get together." Fengo said, leaning back in his chair. "So are you four boyfriends and girlfriends now?" Theodore inquired. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava glanced at each other and shrugged. "Well, I suppose we are now." The four of them said simultaneously, making the six Elf-Faes laugh. "When are you four going to tell anyone else?" Nala asked. "Well, I think we will keep our boyfriends and girlfriends status secret for now." Hiccup said. "It is all so new and I agree with you even though everyone else knows it is inevitable." Astrid said. "I do not plan on going public with our relationship until the war is over." Aniu said. "That is what I want too because beginning a relationship right now does not seem to be a good decision." Nava added.
"So, about these saddles, when are you four going to start making them?" Fengo asked. "We will get some stuff from the forge after we leave here." Aniu said. "We will have to measure them and work out how we are going to make the saddles." Nava said. "We will have to do it in the forge but when no one is around." Hiccup said. "That means we will have to work throughout a night." Astrid said. "Perhaps I could distract and tell him some furniture needs fixing." Namara said. "I think Fengo is still prepping the cradle. We could tell Gobber we need help with that." Theo said. "If he notices your absences, we can tell him you four are sleeping in your Soul-Bondling Home." Nala added. "Great idea, Mum. We have not slept in there for over two weeks." Nava said. "Well, we best make good use of that home, it was bestowed on us for many reasons." Aniu said. "I wonder if we could sneak our Soul-Dragons in there." Hiccup mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I do not think so, Hiccup, someone is bound to notice." Astrid said and Hiccup sighed, slumping in his seat. "Well, we have to something soon otherwise our training would be put on hold." He said. "I know, Hiccup but we have to think this carefully otherwise our goals would be over." Astrid replied. "That includes being subtle, cautious, observant, sneaky, silent and adaptive." Aniu said. "Hey, guys, you do know that we are talking through our Mind Link, right?" Nava asked and Aniu, Hiccup and Astrid blushed, glancing at Fengo, Namara, Arin, Theo, Nala and Mira who were watching them closely with raised eyebrows. "Sorry, telepathy." The four Soul-Mates apologized simultaneously and they laughed. After that, the conversation turned to other topics.
A hour later after they had lunch, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava went to the forge which was thankfully empty and quickly gathered everything they may need to make the saddles. Checking the coast was clear, the four Soul-Mates snuck through the village to the edge of the forest and made their way to the Cove with Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker, Akira, Caruso, Edme, Zena and Artemis. When they arrived at the campsite, Raven, Ebony, Crowden and Aleron had already settled in well and made themselves at home, laughing as Darkfang told them a very funny story of how he had pulled a prank on Bolt as the Skrill glared lightning bolts at him, looking very much like he was about to start shooting them literally. Thanks to her Griffin senses, Elenia was the first to sense them, smiling warmly and trilling as Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu, Nava and their Familiars approached with their bundle of cargo draped over their shoulders.
Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle hurried over to their Soul-Riders, greeting them with nuzzles. "What have you guys got here?" Toothless asked, curiously sniffing at Hiccup's bundle. "Just some stuff that will help us create your saddles, bud." He grinned, setting his bundle down. "We are going to get started on them as soon as we can." Astrid chirped. "The sooner we make your saddles, the better, right, guys?" Aniu asked. "After we know what to do, we will have to make them in the forge." Nava said. Together, they opened their bundles and began sorting through the equipment, telling their Soul-Dragons what each piece was and how they were going to use it. Then to their surprise and joy, four familiar ghosts appeared in a ghostly flash of light. "Evelyn? Torian? Miniki? Stryka?" Everyone asked in shock. "Hello? Did you guys miss us?" Evelyn asked cheekily. "Sorry we have not been visiting any of you recently." Torian said. "We have been quite busy scouting for any news or recent developments." Miniki told them. "When was the last you twelve visited your Soul-Bond-Ling Home?" Stryka inquired, gazing at Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu, Nava, Sorena, Sprinter, Stryker, Akira, Caruso, Edme, Zena and Artemis pointedly.
"We have been quite busy and we thought disappearing into our Soul-Bond-Ling Home so often would make people suspicious." Hiccup said and the four ghosts nodded in acceptance. "And by busy we mean a lot has been happening. Do you four want to hear everything that has happened since we last spoke?" Nava asked. Evelyn, Torian, Miniki and Stryka nodded and so the Cove Campers took turns telling them what had been happening ever since they last spoke. The four ghosts listened attentively and asked questions whenever they were necessary. By the end of the story telling, Evelyn, Torian, Miniki and Stryka were quite until they spoke. "You lot have been and fortunately, we know quite a lot about making dragon saddles." Evelyn said. "We can teach you four how to do it but as we cannot touch any living being, we cannot do it for you." Torian said. "You four must do it yourselves and we will guide you. That means listening to our instructions and working together. Making saddles for your dragons is very important to Dragon Riders." Miniki said. "First, let us take inventory of what materials and tools we need. I hope you have everything." Stryka said.
"Let us begin, shall we all?" Aniu asked, grinning. "All right, we need four rolls of measuring tape that is as long as your dragons from snout to tail." Evelyn said and deemed the measuring tape sufficient when they checked and showed what they had to her. "Next thing we need is thick, strong, durable leather that has been element-proofed and made resistant to general wear and tear and rust." Torian said and when they checked the leather, he deemed it just what they needed and made sure there was enough for leather for Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle with enough left over for spares and scraps they could use for other things. "Now we need sharp, straight, non-serrated blades that will cut out shapes neatly through the leather in straight or curved lines." Miniki said and nodded when he saw the blades and scissors they had brought with them. "Before we cut the leather, we will have to draw out shapes with the right measurement for your dragons." Stryka said.
Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava checked the charcoal pens, pencils, quills and ink pots they had brought with them. "Those will do and we will also need needles to sew everything together. I hope you guys are good at sewing and we will cut cords out of the leathers." Evelyn said. "Lucky last is buckles that are strong enough to withstand anything the saddle has to throw at them." Torian said and deemed the buckles in the bundles in good shape. "Now do not worry, we have made saddles for Night Furies, Deadly Nadders, Summer and Winter Dragons before. Just listen and learn." Miniki said. "We will check for any mistakes and tell you four if you are doing something wrong." Stryka added and so the saddle making commenced. With Toothless, Stormfly, heatwave and Icicle's eager, impatient permission, Evelyn, Torian, Miniki and Stryka guided Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava in measuring their Soul-Dragons' necks and chests then cut five bands each out of the leather and outlined a dozen or so shapes on the hides.
Once the pieces had been sliced out, they cut what remained of the hides into long cords and used them to sew everything together but for each stitch, two holes had to be bored through the leather. Stormfly and Icicle gave them a few tail spikes to help with that. With some difficulty, the buckles were rigged and attached and every strap was made extra long so the saddles would still fit Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle in the coming months as each of them had not finished growing to their full size and so they would still fit even if the dragons gained weight, much to their irritation as no dragon liked to be told they were fat or even implied they were gaining weight. The main part of the saddles was assembled from three identical sections each with padding sewn between them. Attached to the fronts were thick loops that would fit snugly around one of Toothless, Stormfly, Heatwave and Icicle's neck crests or spikes while wide bands sewn on the left and right would wrap around their bellies and tie underneath. A pair of stirrups were attached to each saddle with a series of loops attached above them that would hold Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava's legs in place when tightened. Long straps were constructed pass between Stormfly's wings and Toothless, Heatwave and Icicle's front legs, split in two and then come up behind them to rejoin with the rest of the saddles. It several hours to complete the saddles and they worked into the night as the others caught and ate dinner, leaving some food for them. Raven in particular was eagerly waiting for Toothless so she could talk to him. When the work was finally finished, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava slumped back in exhaustion. "Is that all we have to do?" Hiccup asked. "Aside from decorating, putting the saddles on your dragons and flying on them, yes but that can wait until tomorrow. For now, eat, get some rest, attend Dragon Combat Training and come back tomorrow." Miniki said.
Yesterday, my mother and I went to watch Thor: Ragnarok and boy was it a SHOCKING good movie, effortlessly combining fun, light-hearted and joyful humour with all the gritty sadness, death and violence and let us not forget the suggestive references such as naming a portal the Devil's Anus (laughs). I CANNOT WAIT for JUSTICE LEAGUE and STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI! Happy Halloween! Trick or Treat or Whatever! Bye for now.