Chapter 12 ~ Wings of Change

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Just as Snotlout had said, construction soon began in the middle of Berk, and the creation of an emergency shelter was formed. The dome acted like a horizontal version of the one on Dragon's Edge. Everything felt like it was falling into place. Life was peaceful, albeit a bit boring with no enemies to be constantly looking out for. No dragon trappers. No psychotic smugglers or traders. Not even word about Magnus Bloodsword. Or perhaps, that was wishful thinking.

One slightly sad and slightly comical problem had occurred a week after Snotlout and I had gone to Freya's Garden. Dagur had come back to Berk, bearing gifts he had received from a supposed witch doctor. One of which was a potion that was intended to make the user have immortal strength. Well, hearing this, Snotlout and Fishlegs both had to try it out. Snotlout wanted it to get the girls, and Fishlegs wanted it to prove he had both brains and brawn. To Heather's and my dismay, that was not what happened when the boys drank the potion. Instead, the elixir had some sort of effect on the male hormones, causing them to be "attracted" to the first person they saw upon drinking it. In some sense, I guess you could call it a temporary love potion. And of course, the first person that Snotlout and Fishlegs saw was none other than Ruffnut. Not understanding what had happened, Heather was quite angry when her boyfriend began chasing after his blonde friend. I also grew irritated, unsure if Snotlout was just playing a game. Thankfully, when Gothi examined the potion, she told me what had occurred, and I relayed the information to Heather. The boys would only act like this for a week or two, and Ruff could hold her own. It was quite humorous actually, watching her try to pry them away from her, and Tuff being unsure what to do in response to defend his sister.

A few days passed, until one afternoon when I was in the middle of sharpening my sword in the center of the village. Suddenly, Hiccup and Astrid had come rushing into town looking for Stoick. There seemed to be something wrong, but they wouldn't stop to tell anyone. Stormfly and Toothless were hot on their heels as they ran toward the shelter. Jumping to my feet, I ran after them, wanting to know what they had encountered that frightened them so. Everything had gone fine until then. We had the dragon races in the morning, and then people got to work as they usually did. The rest of the riders had the same idea, and soon the whole group of us in the area had followed the couple until they got to the chief, trying to hear what had happened.

Apparently, there were more dragon trappers in the area, and they were working for some guy named Drago Bludvist. That name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where I had heard it. Stoick seemed to remember though, because a look of fear fell on his face, and he started to order everyone inside. Against his wishes, Hiccup and Astrid left, Hiccup wanting to try and reason with the man Stoick warned them about. I shook my head to clear it as my friends broke into loud conversation all around me. "We have to follow them!" Ruffnut declared. "But you heard Stoick! He said we have to stay here." Fishlegs replied. "Aw, is Fishface scared?" Snotlout asked in a baby voice. Fishleg grit his teeth. "No, I just don't want my lady love to get hurt." "Your lady love? Ha! Ruff is my girl!" Snotlout growled, stepping forward. "Come on guys! We're wasting time! Let's just go!" Tuffnut shouted, mounting Belch. Ruff followed him, getting up onto Barf's neck. "You coming, Brenna?" She called to me. "No thanks! Someone's gotta stay here and get ready to patch you guys up!" I laughed, crossing my arms. "Suit yourself! See you soon!" She replied, before she and her brother took to the air. The other riders followed close behind, leaving me in the dust.

A massive presence behind me caused me to turn around. "Hello, Chief." I greeted Stoick. He patted my arm, and it was only then that I realized how tired he looked. His once flaming hair and beard had wisps of grey and white in them, and he took shallow breaths as he stood there. But his emerald eyes held as much strength and mischief as Hiccup's did. "I'm glad that at least one of you still listens to your elders." He stated with an air of exhaustion. "Thank you, Stoick." I smiled at him. "No, thank you, Brenna. You will make an excellent healer one day." He complimented me. "Thank you, Chief. That truly means a lot to me." I whispered in return. He smiled back at me, then released my shoulder. "Now, to go rescue my son once again..." He rumbled, glancing over his shoulder. "Gobber!" He shouted. "Coming!" The blacksmith called back. With a look bidding me farewell, Stoick strode away to go find his dragon. I took a deep breath, heading into the medical hut inside the shelter, dodging dragons and people alike. With any luck, this would be a routine rescue mission. They'd be home soon.

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