Hi everyone, I'm back with another chapter, enjoy!

…

Brothers

Chapter 42: Snoggletog

As it had happened a year prior, winter set in. Daylight ended sooner and cold nights became longer…and with it heavy snow and ice.

The good thing to come from all this: Snoggletog is just a few days away! Even days before the Berk holiday began, Berkians and their reptilian counterparts began decorating the village: adorning the village and trees with Christmas-like imagery. It would be my second Snoggletog and with it another year of great celebration and bonding.

Still, as the festivities grew nearer with each passing day, I felt uneasy inside. The good thing is ever since I met Dith and I found out about why and how I was brought here…things felt easier to comprehend. What I mean is, I now know more or less what I'm meant to do in this strange world. I guess it's a good thing that I found out about everything close to the end of the year: it can actually end on a high note (great, right?)

Anyway, just the day before the big holiday, Stormfly, Toothless, and I went playing in the snow just outside town.

Snow-filled sequoias were scattered around us with Berk's mountains providing a picturesque backdrop. We chased one another: sometimes it was Tooth and I chasing the bird-dragon or her and I against the legendary Night Fury.

"Gotcha!" The female Nadder squawked as she slapped a wing against Tooth's side. As expected, he gave an annoyed look and a meek growl…he didn't like losing games after all. I had helped her in the chase, laughing as I trotted over to them in the deep snow, "Toothless never had a chance" I stated with a smug grin running down my black snout.

Unfortunately for me, I felt snow strike the side of my face shortly after (something I should have anticipated but I was distracted by my jeers.) I shake my head to rid the flakes off my face, licking some off with my forked tongue. Stormfly chirped nervously in response, hopping away amusingly, "I'm stepping away now."

"This is war!" I roared toward the other black dragon, scooping up a ball of snow in my paws to throw right at them. As it hurtles toward my target it is burnt midair by a soft plasma blast from none other than Toothless!

I stomp my foot down, growling in response, my short snout contracting in frustration, "hey, n-not fair!" I protested. The other reptile just gave a fake serious look, "we never agreed to be fair about it."

As he confidently retorted back, distracted by his cheekiness, I managed to throw another snowball at him…bullseye!

I laughed, falling on my back as he wiped the flakes off his face.

"Nice shot, Flint" Stormfly complimented from the side, it's as if she WANTED to get a rise out of Toothless…it seemed to work, for I was soon tackled by Toothless with inhuman speed. Storm squawked in surprise as Tooth and I tumble down a small snowy hill…soon ending up in a pile of snow. As our heads popped out of the white blanket of field we landed on, we looked at one another: laughing in unison.

The Deadly Nadder landed next to us, helping us out by grabbing our necks with her "beak."

"Thanks" Toothless smiled as he said.

"Of course-" she doesn't finish, for just as she lifted me, I went in to tackle the Night Fury again in revenge and she grunted in annoyance at first. She watched the both of us circle each other like playful, happy, dogs.

Soon enough, exhaustion catches up to us and we both stop to relax on the ground.

"Man…that was the hardest tackle you've done so far…" Toothless half-complimented, half-grudgingly.

"Next Snoggletog I might be bigger than you, Tooth" I gave an impish grin and the opposing Night Fury just scoffed in his deeper voice, "perish the thought, young dragon!"

Before I could retort in a playful banter, the Nadder beside us chimed in, "he IS getting close to your size, Toothy" she chuckled under her breath, holding a wing close to conceal her grin.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, bird brain" Tooth rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you take that back, salamander!"

"Or what, you'll try to peck me to death? I'm sooo afraid!" The older Night Fury refuted.

Sure enough, the two start their friendly rivalry as I chuckle, looking away while shaking my head. The snow presents an opportunity to write. Sure enough, I start practicing while the others are distracted but it's not long before the two grow weary and take notice of what I'm doing.

"What are you writing this time?" Tooth asked as I turned my head with a smirk, "figuring out what I should write for tomorrow during the festivities. A note for Hiccup and the others, giving thanks and whatnot."

"Oh!" The dragon looked with an affirmative nod: very excited for the idea, and I laughed playfully in response, "well, I won't be the only one writing it, hopefully. We will ALL write something for the Vikings for tomorrow."

"I LOVE it!" He suddenly withdrew his teeth and licked the side of my face before Stormfly joined our side, "what about me, though? Me and some of the other dragons can't write like the two of you can…"

I scratched the bottom of my muzzle-chin in silent thought while Toothless eyed me with his trademark curiosity.

"You can try using the spikes on your tail to write."

"What…preposterous!" She laughed in pleasant retort, but inside the bird-dragon thought about the possibility. She's seen Toothless and I write for months now and the Deadly Nadder was able to pick up some Norse from the Vikings (and from me.) Maybe it IS possible…I mean, worst case I could just write for her and the other dragons, yeh?

"Let's try it!" Stormfly squawked happily before the Fury next to me began bouncing in excitement, "this is going to be so awesome! Come on, let's get started!" Without telling us, the black reptile began racing for the town, running down the hill before gesturing for us to join.

Storm looked down at me as I gave her a side eye, she soon followed. I hesitated for some reason and that got her attention, "you coming, Flint?"

"Y-yeah, I'll be there in a moment, don't worry." I waved at her before she shrugged mentally, "okay."

The other two dragons disappeared over the horizon…heading down the slope toward Berk. Unknown to them, next to me, is the interdimensional being known simply as Dith. He had been standing right next to me and I had taken notice of him being there just before Toothless left.

"Snoggletog…it certainly beats your modern-day variant" the man chuckled before I rolled my eyes, saying nothing. That is until he walks in front of me and turns around to look down at me.

"How many have you seen anyway? I mean, from you being in so many versions of this universe I can only imagine-"

"Five-hundred and eighty-three."

"It's a lot…" I finished my sentence after his.

"There's just one thing about this one that will be different" he leaned back, giving a smug grin to me as I gave a confused face. A snap of his fingers and I am blinded by light. As my eyes readjust, I gasped at the sight in front of me, but I soon groaned in annoyance.

In front of me is another, unfamiliar, Night Fury…bouncing up and down like a dog, panting like one too. The only difference is the eyes: they are yellowish like the man I just saw. Can you take a guess who it is?

"I'll be like this the entire festival!" He stated in an over-the-top happy tone. The "Night Fury" started prancing around me as I sat there like an annoyed cat, grunting loudly as he laughed, "what do you think?" He had asked, giving a confident look similar to Toothless before sitting down across from me, tongue still hanging down, "I make a great Night Fury I should say so myself."

"I guess, you're the reason I AM one, after all."

"I had plenty of time from watching Toothless in this realm and others. Practice makes perfect, Flint Callahan" he smugly said. He joined my side, gesturing his head in the direction leading to town, "shall we join the others?"

I sighed, nodding once to confirm. This is NOT what I expected to happen, oh well…might as well have fun with it.

Suddenly, he started floating…FREAKING FLOATING…like there wasn't any gravity and he ended up upside down above me, "after you."

"You just keep on surprising me, Dith…" I just had to laugh as I started walking down the trail…Dith following above me, still a Night Fury, still floating like an astronaut in space…defying physics as we know it.

…

The next day, Vikings and dragons were out on the street, and in the air, mingling with their Viking counterparts. Today was the big day…the day we've all been waiting for in a while…Snoggletog!

Unlike last year, there weren't many problems that happened. There wasn't a "migration" as there was a year prior with the dragons, and Hiccup didn't lose his helmet this time (so yeah, off to a great start already!) Something different about this 2nd Snoggletog is that some dragons are taking Berkians on flights while some children played with the older hatchlings (which were born a year prior) in the snowy fields or the village square.

As Toothless, Stormfly, and I got ready for the day we saw some kids and baby dragons sledding down a hill on a shield not too far away from where we met up. They passed us as we greeted them with our draconic roars and grunts.

It's barely a second after that we spot Hiccup among the crowd, helping his father, Stoick, and others with setting up the final decorations (they just had to wait last minute on some things, heh.) It's not long upon seeing him that the boy notices us, "h-hey guys!" He waved before we moved closer to join the human's side, "mind helping with this, bud?" Toothless, his best friend, doesn't hesitate…he shoots a bolt toward the torch his human rider is holding, and it lights up orange. Haddock then passes it to his father who hangs it over a line with other lights that connect to a post in the center of the village square.

"A few more hours till we get everyone in the Great Hall" Vast chortled (as if he were jolly…like Santa Claus or something…) rubbing his large hands together.

"Everyone sure is excited" Hiccup added.

"No exploding eggs this year I hope" Gobber chimed in amusingly before Stoick nodded. He walked over to his son, placing his hand over the young teen's shoulder, "it's going to be a sight once the sky is dark. Another great year this will be, son."

"I'd like to think so" Hiccup smiled.

For a brief moment, the teen noticed that I had left the circle and gone elsewhere, with Stormfly reuniting with Astrid several paces away. Then, I went to the forge, grabbed my writing prosthetic and I ran out to rejoin the others.

An hour later: just before Stoick would start gathering everyone for the Mead Hall, I arrived with a dozen other dragons (who had wanted to participate) to join the group…who were just finishing their work and play. At this point, it's sunset and the backdrop the sky created (pink and red) was perfect.

I looked over to Toothless who nodded and that's when I began: I released a purple plasma blast into the sky above: creating a spectacle for everyone. It's like a fireworks display, especially when the group I gathered joined in to add their own "colors" to the show. It was not long before the others (Toothless, the dragon twins, Stormfly, Meatlug, and even HookFang) jumped in to help make an even bigger spectacle for the Vikings that surrounded us. The humans all gasped in awe and excitement as the ground lit up in flashing colors. Haddock's eyes glow as the other Viking teens join his side. I stopped my show momentarily to glance over to Toothless… looking for approval as if he was proud of me. I soon nodded back just before I continued…now with an even bigger smile on my snout.

After the dragon "ceremony" everyone travels to the Great Hall (following Stoick) as the full moon shines over all of us.

The festivities continued indoors from this point on as the warm atmosphere welcomed us. Berkians pass presents and gifts to one another and share stories and whatnot. The scene soon turned into a party fest: drinks were given as well as hefty amounts of meat, poultry, and fish.

As the party went on, I went to get the prosthetic for writing (which I had tucked away within the Great Hall), and I gathered all the dragons who wanted to participate in our next show (including Toothless.)

Close to the firepit, beside a stone wall, I had placed papers with nails. Some, if not most Vikings, gathered around as I wrote on the paper in Norse. I made a small sentence: displaying my gratitude for everything…the hospitality and kindness the humans gave to us in our time on Berk. I am soon joined by the other Night Fury, Toothless, who uses a pencil in his mouth to write a similar message…giving thanks to Hiccup and the others for all they've done to help dragons everywhere. Once he pulls away, I nudge him as a heartwarming moment bathes us.

Sure enough, Stormfly hops in, we move out of the way…knowing what she's about to do. The Nadder flicks her long, barbed, tail: sending some spikes that are so precisely placed that they form simple Norse letters. The Vikings watch in amazement, knowing what it spells:

Thank You

The humans cheer us on as, one by one, dragons walk forward to write simple messages thanking the former. I guess my lessons really DID pay off! Hiccup though is the person we should really thank, not me. I mean think about it: he's the one who taught me Norse…set the stage for all this.

You helped too

I heard in my head before I turned to be met with yet another Night Fury…it's Dith. Unlike all the other times, time is still fluid, and everyone is just milling about…so why can't they see him?

"Calm yourself, Flint…they cannot see me." He explained, "Now that we got that out of the way…can I PLEASE write something?" He begged as if he needed my approval.

"B-but you're not a dragon…" I retorted, looking around to make sure no one was watching…imagine how awkward it would be to see me talking to nothing, heh.

He gave me a look of "are you serious" and I must admit he was right…he DID turn me into one after all. I sighed, giving him the go-ahead before the "Night Fury" started bouncing up and down in excitement, "thank you, thank you, oh thank you!"

"You're….welcome?"

Anyway, once we all wrote out our messages, our dragon group pulled away, so each Viking could read them if they wanted to. Astrid and the other teens were amazed that their dragons could now communicate with them (at least at the very basic level that is.)

Soon, the celebrations ramped up and we all got pulled into a night of frenzy. Just like the year prior, I partied like crazy, mingling with the other dragons and whatnot.

The madness continued into the cold night: we danced, we ate, we talked…so much we had done within hours that the time blended into one another. The last thing I remembered before passing out from exhaustion was Dith shouting from a chandelier that he was resting on (with a drink of ale…still in his dragon form), "this NEVER gets old!"

…

Very late into the night, when most people had left for their homes or were passed out on the floor, a handful were still awake in the Great Hall: one of which is Hiccup. He had walked by, inspecting the aftermath of Snoggletog and the mess it left behind…soon running into Toothless and I. We had both passed out beside one another. The sixteen-year-old Viking made a soft grin, crouching down to pet Tooth's ear and ear fin. I sensed him approaching, ear flinching, and woke up just as he did this, "hey you two…how's it going?" Toothless had also woken up and gave his best friend a gum smile in return. I did the same, basically imitating the Night Fury as Haddock chuckled. He stood up to usher us, "something I think the two of you would love to see" he said before Tooth and I looked at one another.

Sure enough, we head outside into the snow: heading down the steps leading to the Great Hall. We see the human further down: waving at us to follow. It doesn't take long for us to know why he led us outside…the sky is clear (an unusual setting for Berk this time of the year.) There are many stars out, and you can faintly see the backdrop of the Milky Way galaxy across the morning sky.

We made it to a cliff not too far away from town, and as soon as we arrived: a shooting star had coincidentally appeared. We gasped at the sight…I never saw one before in my life…it was a bright line in the sky that quickly vanished…leaving no trace. My unnatural green eyes glittered at the sight as Hiccup smiled, "didn't expect that!"

For a brief moment, I looked away as I reminisced days when I had gone stargazing with Dad when I was little. He had a telescope (nothing too advanced, in fact, I think most of it was made of plastic) and we'd often try finding the planets and other interesting objects in the sky. Even a thousand years in the past…the sky still looks the same.

The next thing that happened was even better than the first: more and more shooting stars began falling in the sky and that's when I soon realized: this was a meteor shower!

"It's like the sky is falling!" Toothless said, mouth gaped. As I marvel at the spectacle happening before us, I turn to the black dragon and say, "it feels that way I bet, but it's not actually stars at all."

"What do you mean?" He gave me an adorable look to me before I explained, "It's thousands of tiny rocks burning up in the upper atmosphere!"

"Yeah right!" 'Greenie' scoffed at the idea before I rolled my eyes at him, "I would know, Toothless. One thousand years of scientific progress and I'm wrong?" I retorted.

"Maybe you are! I'll find out in a thousand years" he barked back.

"Knowing you, you won't last a century!" I snapped back playfully. Suddenly, he pulled me in with a wing as Hiccup laughed at our little unintelligible banter. It's not long after that his dragon pulls him in too with his other wing. Now, it's the three of us bunched up together like sardines: watching the meteor shower.

"You two are the best thing that has ever happened in my life, and I'm so happy to enjoy this moment with the two of you" Hiccup had said, smiling before Toothless gave a happy, toothy, grin back, "back at you, Hiccup!" The Fury said as his human chuckled, "you said a mouthful, bud."

I looked away, my smile never fading. I love these tender moments with Hiccup and Toothless…my brothers.

I can't believe another year has gone by so fast…who knows what we'll do or run into…I only hope it'll be something great. It'll be another year of adventures maybe. I know one thing for sure, it'll be crazy. I just know it.

…

Hey everyone! That wraps up the Defenders of Berk arc, so you can kind of guess where we head from here: RTTE!

Now, I am in the process of writing an outline, or at the very least figuring out how it will all play out. It may take some time to figure out, so bear with me, please. I might not be uploading as much.

If you have any ideas on how we should proceed, let me know. Keep in mind that I won't cover ALL of RTTE, just the important stuff and most of it may be altered due to the context of this story.

Either way, I hope you enjoyed this new update and I'll see you in the next one, peace!