"What's coming?" One asked.
"A beast we've never dealt with before. As big as the mountain behind me, and it's breath freezes everything in its path. Though it's not alone. These beasts act in the same way as Hiccup, and The Night Fury. They take in dragons and home them. I think Hiccup said they're called sanctuaries. So it's whole flock is with it. The problems they're facing right now are all due to a lack of information. But they should know more soon. One of their scouts has, I guessed signaled back, and will be arriving hopefully sooner rather than later with information.
Which is why I'm giving you the chance now to leave. You may go at any time but I expect you to stay when the fighting starts. But like I said there's likely still a few days before anything starts up so you'll have time to make your decision. An informed one at that."
"You're staying then Stoick?" One of the women asked.
"Aye. I won't lie. I've gotten an itchy sword arm lately."
"Let it be known that you can't take the dragon slayer out of Stoick the Vast, Even when he's riding one of the damned things." The other woman of the group joked. Which got a chuckle from everyone else.
"No, no, nothing like that." Stoick composed himself. "It's just a change in lifestyle. I'm sure you're all going through something similar. Feels odd not having to constantly worry about an attack from an enemy that can come from anywhere.
I find myself sitting up at night waiting for the alarms to go off, just for them to never come. I can't really be the great dragon slayer if there are none to slay can I?"
"I suppose you'll just have to settle with being the father of the boy who can tame dragons instead."
"Succeeded by my own son already." Stoick huffed. "He's not even half my age yet."
"Isn't that what our children are supposed to do?"
"Well, yes." Stoick said. "But most people's kids don't take over another group of people."
"That's a good point. The real question is, who's going to take over Berk now that Hiccup's not going to? Astrid seems like a good choice. She's got a solid head on her shoulders."
"I don't know yet." Stoick admitted. "Astrid does seem like the most worthy but she has a lot of hate in her heart for dragons. As she should, we've all been raised to hate them. But I don't know how she, or anyone else will react to this. I don't know how I should react to this. Like them or hate them, surely this isn't what you were expecting.
I myself, am finding it hard to even dislike the damned beasts. I don't know about living with them, like the boy does, but they would make things a lot easier."
"Get on the back of one and you're already in love." The groups chuckled.
"Love, no. But I do understand why someone could. Imagine all the things you could see. How much faster you can travel. How much more we could carry."
"It sounds as though you already have plans to put these things to work."
"I'm thinking about it. Coin is worthless to them, so they don't need pay perse. They would need a lot of food but since we're allied we could ask for fishing spots in Hiccup's territory, or simply be able to find more or better ones in our own seas. It would be easier to haul wood and things. They don't smell that bad especially compared to some of us." Stoick laughed.
"You've changed sides quick."
"Think what you will, but I feel it's hard to look at all this, seen what you've seen and not wonder how something like this changes the way you live. What's the difference between these people and any other? The way they look, act? That's obvious. But what we should be looking at is how they can help us, and us them.
It's not about what they are, or what's happened in the past. We have to look forward. We have to stay ahead of the other villages otherwise we look like easy targets. If we ally fully with them we could do things like raise a generation without hate for dragons pounded into their heads."
"How would you even house them Stoick? They're huge."
"Hiccup said something about them being family. We could build a place to house them. But when Hiccup was speaking with me he said they create bonds. Friendships basically. And that they're very loyal to them. So doing something like bringing them into our homes would probably be better for them. They live so close together now, that I don't know if having them live somewhere apart from us would be what they want. But after all it's down to each person."
"You think that people would want to house them in their homes? Surely they're too brutish. They'll break everything."
"Like none of you have knocked something over, or crushed something on accident. But I do think people would want to have them in their homes. At least some people. Hiccup had an interesting idea that would make that easier to accomplish as well. He had the thought to allow children to pick a hatchling and be raised alongside it. That would allow them to create those strong bonds with their dragons, and would likely increase the chance of them being brought into our homes.
Plus it would teach the dragons our language."
"You trying to teach them to talk Stoick?"
"No, but again, Hiccup has told me that they can talk. They have their own language, and given time they can learn ours. His Night Fury can completely understand what you're saying to it. The issue being, they are unequipped to be able to speak like we do and we're the same for theirs. Children who are willing could, if they wanted, learn they're language and teach ours. Then would be able to fully speak to their dragon. Like Hiccup does now. He even stressed to me that dragons are not pets. They have their own lives to live, and make decisions like all of us do. They are not some dim witted animal. So treating them right would be important for sustained friendship.
I'm curious about what you all think about us siding with Hiccup and his dragons."
