Chronicles of the Dragoniters
"Normal Speech-Dragons included"/ #Telepathic Speech#/ Thoughts
CotD: Vikings, Dragons and Elf-Faes
Chapter 14: Snoggletog Part 1: Dragon Migration
Updated: 21.06.2017
It was winter time on Berk, boasting the kind of pleasant, fun in the sun climate that will anyone not accustomed to the cold frostbite. One particular upside was the annual, much loved holiday. While this holiday would be known as Christmas, Yuletide or something else in other parts of the world, to the Vikings of Berk and the Archipelago it was known as Snoggletog. Some people wondered why they chose such a stupid, in their opinion, name but it still remains a mystery. This year's Snoggletog would be different for the Vikings of Berk because it was the first Snoggletog after the End of the War Against Dragons and the first Snoggletog with the dragons and the eight Elf-Faes, one Griffin, one Winged Unicorn and one Phoenix residents of Berk. Everyone was sure that year's Snoggletog promised to be one to remember. Particularly the dragons who were acting very excited for more reasons than Snoggletog. Many of the females had gained weight, were acting moodily and many of the males, usually their mates, were being overprotective and sniffing their mates bellies. It was not long before people noticed and they began asking questions. It turned out that it was the mating season for the dragons of Berk and nearly everyone was thrilled at the news they would soon have baby dragons in their village and they would be the first dragons ever hatched on Berk in living memory. It was very fitting considering the three hundred year long Dragon War of Berk had ended only weeks ago. Unfortunately, the dragons told the Vikings that until they could find suitable places to hatch their eggs, which tend to explode when they hatch, they would have to fly to an island where many dragons came to hatch their eggs. They arranged to have Vikings sail out with ships just days before Snoggletogso they could sail their babies home to Berk and celebrate instead of waiting for them to learn how to fly which took weeks or months depending on the breed. The Vikings of Berk were saddened their dragons would have to leave but they accepted
Only mere days before the much beloved holiday, it was snowing lightly and nearly every building was covered in frosty and ice. Everyone, dragons, humans, Elf-Faes, Griffins, Phoenixes and Winged Unicorns alike, were asleep in their homes, snuggled up in their beds but that would not be the case for long as four special people were about to be woken by their dragons for their much beloved morning activity. Hiccup Haddock, Aniu Namara'sdaughter, Nava Theodore'sson and Astrid Hofferson were sound asleep in their beds in their rooms of their houses, holding Sharpshot, Sneaka, Terrence and Talisa, their Terrible Terrors close to their chests. That was until Toothless the Night Fury and Stormfly the Deadly Nadder crept over to their beds and nuzzled them awake. "Mm, Toothless, let me sleep." Hiccup moaned, gently pushing Toothless's snout away from him. Sharpshot opened his eyes and yawned as Hiccup pulled the blankets back over them but Toothless was insistent and kept nudging them. After a minute or two, Hiccup and Sharpshot were forced to admit defeat and sighing, pulled the blankets off. "All right, we are up, we are up, bud." Hiccup yawned, getting out of bed. "Can you not let us sleep a little bit longer, Toothless?" Sharpshot asked. "I would if we did not have much to do today and that includes..." Toothless trailed off with a grin pulling at his lips. Hiccup and Sharpshot grinned at each other then shot out of bed. Hiccup quickly pulled on his boots, brushed his hair, clipped his twin daggers onto his belt and rushed out of his room and down the stairs. Toothless and Sharpshot flew after him.
Hiccup and his dragons rushed outside where Aniu, Sneaka, Nava, Terrence, Astrid, Stormfly, Talisa, Arrow, Darkfang, Chaya, Amaya and Kyran were waiting. "I did not know all of you wanted to join us for a morning flight." Hiccup said. "Actually, Hiccup, we are going on our own morning flight." Chaya said. "We just wanted to say good morning to our brother." Amaya added. "Just because we do not live together, it does not mean we are family." Darkfang said. "Technically, we are hatch-siblings and Hiccup is our brother because of his Soul-Bond to Toothless." Kyran corrected him. "Well, have fun, guys. We will see you five after we come back." Aniu said, smiling warmly. "Do not forget, we have to help the village get ready for Snoggletog." Nava said. "Do not worry, we will not forget." Astrid assured him. "It is going to be a lot different with a lot of dragon babies running and flying all over the village." Toothless said. "At least they will be so cuuuute. Makes me wish I could have some of my own." Stormfly sang wistfully. "Stormfly, we are only fifteen…but I am sure we have a lot of time to make some babies of our own when we are older." Arrow purred, draping a wing over Stormfly's back seductively.
"Hey! What do you think you are doing with my sister?" A voice yelled and four Deadly Nadders ran up to them. "Skyrim, he is just flirting with me. Besides, I can handle him." Stormfly said, rolling her eyes at her brother and purring the last sentence, brushing her tail against Arrow's thigh. "But still, it does not hurt to be protective of you." Sunscale said. "I think you four are a little…too protective." Stormfly muttered. "Brothers, give our sister some space and let her be with her boyfriend." Sasha said firmly. "Dearest Stormfly does not need to be treated like a five year old dragonet." Dasha added. "Thank you, sisters." Stormfly said gratefully. "Anytime, girl." Both Deadly Nadder twins chimed. "Oh, here my siblings come." Arrow said as four more Deadly Nadders landed near them. "Arrow, how are you doing today, old buddy?" Macaw asked, nudging his brother affectionately with a wing. "Looking mighty fine and mighty handsome." Parrot said. "Because he is with Stormfly. Any smooching been happening?" Toucan snickered mischievously. "Aw, give him a break. It is so obvious he has been bitten by the love bird." Parakeet added, grinning teasingly at her brother. "Shut up, guys. It is nearly Snoggletog. Go help the villagers with decorations." Arrow said, rolling his eyes. "All right. See you guys later." Parrot, Macaw, Toucan and Parakeet chirped, flying away. "I suppose they need us to lend a few claws." Dasha said thoughtfully. "Well then, let us go and help." Sasha said. "Some Changewings need some help hunting boars." Skyrim said. "Those new Boneknappers need some help settling in." Sunscale agreed and the four Deadly Nadders flew away. "I am supposed to Astrid's parents make their portion of the Snoggletog feast." Arrow sighed and lovingly pecking Stormfly on one cheek, then flew away.
"Second thought, I am going to help Bolt's parents prepare for the journey." Chaya said, fondly thinking about the family of Skrills she had befriended with her siblings. One Skrill in particular, named Bolt, had caught her eye. "Some Grapple Grounders need help rounding up sheep and yaks." Amaya said. "I will see if any dragons need help lighting fire pits and torches." Kyran said. "That job was left for the Night Furies, Monstrous Nightmares, Terrible Terrors and Deadly Nadders." Darkfang reminded his brother who reminded him that he was Night Fury. They all flew away and Hiccup, Toothless, Sharpshot, Aniu, Sneaka, Nava, Terrence, Astrid, Stormfly and Talisa looked at each other, all wanting to go flying. "Looks like we can go flying now. Can we?' Sharpshot asked, glancing at his friends hopefully. "We can if no one else comes to speak with us." Talisa told him. "The coast is clear. We can go…now." Sneaka said, her wings itching for a good fly. "Whoa, calm down, calm down." Terrence laughed, amused. "Last one to the peak has to clean the stables." Astrid grinned, leaping onto Stormfly's saddled back. "Who knows, Astrid, you might be the last one." Aniu purred, grinning at Astrid who glared at her challengingly, lips raised in a playful grin. "The sooner we stop arguing, the sooner we can fly." Nava reminded them. "Well, in that case, let us fly into the sky." Hiccup said, leaping onto Toothless's back. The Night Fury, Deadly Nadder, four Terrible Terrors and two Elf-Faes in human form flew into the cold morning sky.
Minutes later, the eight fliers and two Riders shot above the clouds. Aniu and Nava were both in their dragon forms and Hicucp leapt off Toothless's back, morphing into his dragon form at the peak of his jump. "Okay, let us see what we have got today." Hiccup exclaimed and they instantly plunged into steep dives down a cliff face, whooping and hollering. As the ocean surface approached, the fliers levelled out and soared over the water, flying right at an arch shaped sea stack. "Okay, you guys ready?" Hiccup asked loudly, receiving a chorus of 'yep's in response. Hiccup smiled and stood up on Toothless's back, Sharpshot flying over him. "Easy." Hiccup murmured, staring at the two stacks with a natural bridge connecting them right up ahead."Three, two, one." Aniu, Toothless, Nava, Astrid and Stormfly counted down and Hiccup leapt off Toothless's back, over the bridge and landed back on where he had jumped off. He almost fell off but pulled himself into the saddle. "Yes! Finally." He exclaimed. Astrid soared ahead of Aniu and Nava on Stormfly and leapt off Stormfly's back, over the arch and landing back on her dragon. Aniu and Nava grinned at each other, flew at the arch, under it, over it and under it, completing a full flip over the arch and receiving whoops and hollers from their friends. Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly grinned at each other, flew back and copied what their two Elf-Faes friends had done. Determined to outwit their companions, the ten of them performed their own tricks before flying back in the direction of Berk.
In the village, the Vikings and dragons of Berk were hard at work decorating the village in time for Snoggletog. Normally, it would have taken longer to decorate and prepare the entire village but with the dragons helping, it would have taken only half the time. Everyone was eager to show off their festive, Snoggletoggy spirit with wreaths, decorated trees, leafy vines with ornaments and other such sort. Most dragons were hard at work preparing the village for the hundreds of baby dragons who would join their families in living on Berk. That meant they had to make sure there was nothing that could pose a threat to their youngsters and nests, playgrounds, food, water and shelter were aplenty. Of course, the dragons liked to make their own spin of things and working together with the Vikings, made sure Berk Village was both dragon and Viking friendly. Scauldrons and Thunderdrums helped haul in massive shiploads of fish, enough for everyone. Timberjacks cut down enough trees for anyone who needed some logs and wood. Dragons with lots of hot firepower kept everyone warm and cosy by lighting fireplaces and torches. Indeed, Night Furies, Deadly Nadders, Monstrous Nightmares, Terrible Terrors, Gronckles, Hideous Zipplebacks, Skrills, Timberjacks, Grapple Grounders, Whispering Deaths, Snaptrappers, Scauldrons, Thunderdrums, Changewings and Boneknappers were all working together with the Vikings of Berk to makes sure that year's Snoggletog would be the best ever.
"Here?" Phlegma the Fierce asked, holding a wreath up to a beam as her Snaptrapper, Leaf-Shrub-Fern-Sprout hovered in place. "Yes...no, no! That one a wee bit higher!" Gobber directed her. Phlegma's Snaptrapper flew up a bit higher. "Here?" She called out again. "There! That's the spot." Gobber yelled. Phlegma smiled and attached the wreath to a hook. Two farmers/ fishermen were having a bit of trouble hauling in their load of fish. "Mulch, do these fish go in the well?" The taller one named Bucket asked, gesturing at a sack of fish his Scauldron, Steam, was holding in his mouth. "No, Bucket, those fish go to the food storage." The shorter named Mulch said, his Thunderdrum named Roar growling in agreement. Hoark the Haggard and Sven the Watchman were helping Hoark's dragon, a Skrill named Spark and a Changewing named Watcher bring some dead boars to the butchers. Sven the Silent and his Timberback, Quiet, were herding some sheep back into their pens.
Stoick, Fengo, Namara, Arin, Theo, Nala and Mira walked up behind Gobber and the chief clapped a hand onto his friend's shoulder. A young child wearing a Gronckle costume ran up to Fishlegs's Gronckle, Meatlug and tried to imitate a dragon's roar to which Meatlug responded by softly roaring in the child's face. The human youngling giggled and ran away. Meatlug gave chase, running slowly enough to make sure she did not accidently hurt the child. "Atta girl, Meatlug." Fishlegs lovingly smiled at his beloved Gronckle and went back to helping his father, Boarlegs Ingerman, decorate the roof of the Ingerman family's house. "Put that one up a little higher, son." Boarlegs told his son. "Yes, Dad." Fishlegs replied and raised a wreath. Fishlegs's mother and Boarlegs's wife, Brenda Ingerman, walked outside, holding a tray full of Snoggletog cookies. "Who wants Snoggletog cookies?" She asked and a bunch of children ran up to her with cheers. Fishlegs and Boarlegs smiled before going back to decorating.
"Oi, Snotlout?" Spitelout Jorgenson called down from where he was hammering shields into a wall on a ladder. "Yeah, Dad?" Snotlout replied from where he was rolling a dead boar on a spit while his mother Freda Jorgenson skinned another boar. "Tell your dragon to light that firepit!" Spitelout yelled as Blazefang, Hookfang's sister, gave him another shield. "Will do. Hookfang, light it up, big boy." Snotlout commanded, pointing at it. Hookfang breathed in and breathed fire into the metal bowl, igniting the kindling. "Done and dusted. Any more I have to do?" He asked. "Firesnow, I need you to bring in more boars!" Freda called and Firesnow dropped some more boars in through the open window as she was too big to fit in through the doors. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were giving a simple job to do: collect more wreaths and vines so their parents and dragons could decorate the house. Unfortunately, the twins could never really stay focused on one job for long and they started arguing about who was going to carry the wreaths and who was going to carry the vines. It was not long before their argument turned into a fist fight, the wreaths and vines lying forgotten on the ground. Their fight only ended when someone cleared their throat and a Ziuppleback gurgled. Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked up to see their mother Torune Thorston standing above them, glaring at her twin children with her hands on her hips. Their father Stuffnut Thorston stood a few feet away with his arms crossed, shaking his head with a glare on his face. Ruffnut and Tuffnut smiled sheepishly and stood up. Barf-Belch picked up the decorations and helped them carry them to their house.
"Are you ready, girls and boy?" Ingrid asked as she and her husband Arthur Hofferson held up colourfully painted shields. Arrow, Skyrim, Sunscale, Toucan and Parakeet, kept bringing more shields whenever they needed them. "Yes, we are ready. Throw them up." Sasha, Dasha, Parrot and Macaw chirped in reply and held up their tails, the spikes erected. Ingrid and Arthur threw up the shields and the four Deadly Nadders used their tail-spikes to pin them to the walls of the house. "Here are more shields." Arrow said as he, Skyrim, Sunscale, Toucan and Parakeet deposited more painted shields on the ground for them. Elenia was using her Griffin magic to levitate decorations up to where they needed to be so Lunastar could glue them into place using her Winged Unicorn magic. "Odin's beard, my friends. Vikings spending the winter holiday with dragons! What would our ancestors say?" Stoick exclaimed. "They will probably think we have lost our minds." Gobber replied merrily. "The dragons will be leaving soon. They are finishing the final preparations. " Namara said. "Which makes me sad. At least some will be staying behind." Arin said. "Do not worry, son. You will live and they will be back." Fengo replied. "In time for Snoggletog, that is. Well, they better be." Theo said. "We do not want to celebrate without them." Nala said. "With their babies. I cannot wait until they are here." Mira gushed. Indeed, many of the female dragons had gained weight and were acting more moodily than before. At times, they were happy and the next moment, they were growling and snapping at anyone who came near them. Many of the male dragons were staying close to the females and being very protective.
Stoick chuckled and gave a speech to the crowd gathered in front of them. "Well done, well done, all of you! I never thought I will live to see this day: peace on the island of Berk. This will surely be the greatest holiday we have ever celebrated."The Vikings cheered and the dragons raised their wings and roared. Suddenly, wingbeats were heard from the sky and dragons roared from high above. The villagers tensed, fearing an attack but nothing happened for the Berkian dragons suddenly tensing, their pupils slitting and their bodies fidgeting. "What in Thor's name?" Gobber whispered in shock. A huge flock of dragons flew overhead, many of them with large, bloated stomachs. A Timberjack, Skrill and Boneknapper roared and their roars were answered by other dragons in the village and their airborne flock. Vikings said their last minute goodbyes to their dragons and watched as the pregnant females and their mates rose into the sky to join the flock. Many of the dragons who did not have pregnant mates went with them so the expectant mates would have other dragons to take care of them, usually their older children.
Meanwhile, Hiccup on Toothless, Sharpshot, Aniu, Sneaka, Nava, Terrence, Astrid on Stormfly and Talisa were still flying back, unaware of the huge flock of dragons flying in their direction. They knew the pregnant females and their mates and caretakers would be migrating to their breeding ground very soon but they did not know which way they would be going. "What do you say, guys? Want to go again?" Hiccup asked. But when the three of them looked forward, they realized that they were flying into a flock of dragons. With yelps of shock, they barely avoided any nasty collisions. "I did not know they were going this way!" Astrid yelled. "Well, we better get home then." Aniu said. "Any chance we could follow them and see where they are going?" Nava asked. "I think our families would like to see us safe and sound first." Toothless said. "Quite right. Perhaps we could ask one of the dragons still on Berk." Stormfly said. "I will like to cuddle up in a nice, warm bed first. I am freezing cold." Sneaka said. "Quite right, my friend. This Winter surely is cold out here." Terrence. "We could add some delicious fish on top of a nice, warm bed." Talisa suggested. "That sounds like a wonderful idea with companionship." Sharpshot said.
They arrived back at the village and told their families which direction the dragons were headed in and their wishes to follow them. The next morning, it was obvious the children of Berk were already the dragons who had left to hatch their eggs but they found companionship with the dragons that stayed behind. Many others were coming up with ways to make the wait fly by and continue decorating. The remaining dragons were spread thin throughout the village but they helped whenever they could. As happy as they were with each other, their families, their friends and the village safe, Hiccup, Aniu, Nava, Astrid, Toothless and Stormfly found themselves impatiently waiting for the return of the dragons with their new hatchlings who were sure to liven up Berk when they arrived. As was the case with nearly everyone else, the humans and Elf-Faes could not wait to see the new dragon additions of Berk. Many were really excited to found out what each dragon baby looked like according to breed. For Hiccup, it was Night Furies and Skrills. For Astrid, it was Deadly Nadders and Timberjacks. For Fishlegs, it was Gronckles and Whispering Deaths. For Snotlout, it was Monstrous Nightmares and Grapple Grounders. For Ruffnut and Tuffnut, it was Hideous Zipplebacks and Snaptrappers. For Aniu, it was Scauldrons and Thunderdrums. For Nava, it was Changewings and Boneknappers. Of course, they all wanted to see baby Terrible Terrors.
Many people came up with ideas of inventions that could really help Berk. With their advanced skills, Hiccup, Aniu, Nava, Astrid, Toothless, Stormfly, Elenia, Lunastar and Solarfira volunteered to decide which inventions were good or bad ideas, how they could be useful and used, how to activate them, how to build them and how to fix them whenever they were in need of repairs. Thanks to the books Aniu and Nava had read about other cultures, realms and worlds, they had quite a few ideas of their own. Despite all their barbarous ways of gladiator fights, conquering other lands and people, slavery and prostitution, the Romans were quite advanced when it came to technology. Quite a few of their inventions and achievements such as pipelines, waterways, architecture, healthcare, welfare, law and politics, literature, customs were taken into considerations. They did have to admit, for all the acts of evil they committed, Romans also did a lot of good things for the world but Berk would never do slavery, prostitution, gladiator fighting and or conquering other lands and people, regardless of whether they used force or not.
There were also those who wanted new holiday traditions for special occasions like Snoggletog, Harvest Haunt, New Year's, birthdays, anniversaries and other such sort. Astrid was one of them and she had an idea to make a new Snoggletog treat, regardless of how good or bad her cooking skills were. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, Hiccup, Aniu, Nava, Toothless, Stormfly agreed and Astrid eagerly dashed into her house's kitchen to start cooking, selecting a bunch of ingredients she thought suited Snoggletog, Winter and Vikings. She emerged the next day holding a shield topped with a jug and several mugs. "Yaknog! Get your yaknog! Come on, get a frothy, delicious cup of cheer!" She called merrily, walking past several children building a snow-Gronckle. She saw Fishlegs, Meatlug, Snotlout, Hookfang, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Barf-Belch with Ganodi, Scratcher, Puncher and Kicker hovering above them.
Astrid's sapphire blue eyes widened in glee and she eagerly chose them as her first taste testers. "Hey, you guys! Try this tasty, new beverage I made for the holiday." She said, eagerly holding out the shield-tray but unfortunately, her kitchen creation garnered some not so positive or enthusiastic responses, namely: sniffs and grimaces of disgust. "Ugh! What is that smell? Is it you?" Tuffnut groaned loudly, pushing Ruffnut over. "It is yaknog." Astrid grinned brightly, pouring out a cup of thick, gooey, lumpy, liquid-like mixture. "Ugh, if I drink that, I am going to yak nog all over the ground." Tuffnut groaned, covering his nose and mouth with one hand and backing away. "I do not what you put in that but that 'yaknog' smells and looks disgusting." Ruffnut groaned and Astrid shot the twins a hurt look but Snotlout, determined to get a positive reaction from Astrid, swaggered forward and picked up the filled mug. "Astrid, it sounds delightful. I will love a mug." He grinned smoothly and drank a mouthful in one gulp. He very quickly regretted it and put the mug back on the shield-tray, grimacing. "Ugh, you can really taste..the yak." He gagged, face turning an ugly shade of green. "Fishlegs, would you like to try some?" Astrid asked, holding at least one person would like it. "Um, I am very sorry about this but I... suddenly and inexplicably changed my mind." He said, backing away and taking a wary glance at Snotlout's nauseated face. Astrid's face fell, upset that her drink had failed to please anyone. But at least she could ask her dragons, Hiccup, Aniu and Nava for better ideas. "Well, I better go see what Hiccup, Aniu and Nava think." She said and walked away. Meatlug, Hookfang, Barf-Belch, Ganodi, Scratcher, Puncher and Kicker glanced at each other and shrugged. "That drink did not smell too bad to me." Hookfang said. "But still, our Riders did not like it." Meatlug reminded. "We could have had a sip." Barf said. "Dragons and humans have different tastes." Belch said.
Meanwhile, Hiccup was busy hammering some nails and other tools in the forge. Aniu, Nava, Sharpshot, Sneaka, Terrence and Toothless were doing their best to help out when Astrid walked in. "Oh, hey, Astrid. How are you doing today?" Aniu grinned. "Good morning. And what is that you are holding?" Nava inquired, putting his hammer and prongs down so he could take a look. "Oh, just some Snoggletog drink I made for the holiday but Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut did not like it." Astrid said, setting the shield-tray down on a bench. "So, what is happening here?" She asked, watching them work. "Many people who are still decorating need tools repaired and presents made." Hiccup said. "Gobber and us are getting orders up to our horns." Aniu said, gesturing to her horns. "And there is a whole bunch of stuff they want done." Nava said. Toothless extended a link from his mind to Astrid's and she opened hers, remembering the times when Aniu and Nava had taught her and Hiccup how to do it. #Many dragons and humans want what is best for their children so they are attempting to make sure there are no safety hazards that could pose a threat to any of the younglings.# Toothless mind-said. #Completely understandable. One young boy nearly tripped over an axe lying on the ground.# Astrid replied.
"So, do you wish to lend a helping hand?" Aniu asked. "We could use Stormfly's fire for some things." Nava added. "Have to get everything ready for Snoggletog and the dragon's return." Hiccup said. "The bigger ones left about a month ago." Aniu said. "I know, it is hard to believe." Hiccup said. "Well, bigger eggs of bigger dragons take longer to hatch." Nava said wisely. "Quite right, Nava. Quite right." Astrid said and they lasped in silence until Nava noticed Aniu fiddling with the pendant around her neck. "You okay, Ni?' He asked and Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless and Stormfly turned to stare at them. "I am just thinking about the time we met our past selves." Aniu said. "You mean Evelyn, Zalkorin, Miniki and Strykia?" Hiccup asked. "Yes. They told us we are Champions of Sunheela." Aniu said. "I have tried to learn as much as I could but there is not much information." Nava said. "We could always our past selves for more information." Astrid said. "Yeah, we could. I have also been experimenting with this pendant, my daggers, orb and Phoenix Tears." Aniu said. "How is it going?" Nava asked. "It is like my daggers are so attuned to me." Aniu said. "I have been working on trying to use my orb to store memories and information." Hiccup said. "Remember that time we successfully communicated over our necklaces?" Nava asked. "Yeah, how could I forget. We stayed up late talking to each other until our parents knocked on our doors and told us to go back to sleep." Astrid said. "Have your Phoenix Tears done anything?" Toothless asked. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava glanced at each other and shook their heads. "I do not think you guys gained any injury severe enough for the Tears to do anything." Stormfly said. They continued talking as they worked, hoping the dragons would be back before Snoggletog.