DRAGONS~Your Story

~The Hangar~

As you rocket towards one of Berk’s cliffs, a massive pair of wooden doors swing open, allowing Toothless to fly you and Hiccup under the village. “Welcome to our dragon hanger,” Hiccup announces. Burning torches illuminate a series of dragon pens and the many Vikings that tend to these stables. “Ever since dragons decide to live with us Vikings, we realized we had a bit of a housing issue on Berk.” “Fortunately,” Hiccup continues, “we’ve always had a series of caves under the island. So, a few renovations later and—Ta-da! Our dragons get their own space, and we have a little more elbow room.” You look around, noticing how all of the dragons in the hangar have enough space to flap their wings and pace around the stables. “Something’s got them riled up. Maybe it has to do with that ruckus we heard,” Hiccup suggests while patting the horns belonging to a very large, very red, very dangerous-looking dragon. “Hey, Hookfang. Any sign of Snotlout?” The dragon named Hookfang just loosely shakes it’s head side to side as a gentle giant. Before you can ask, ‘What kind of name is Snotlout?’ you hear a grunt come from under Hookfang, where a short pug-nosed Viking appears trapped, beneath the dragon’s haunches. “Snotlout! Are you okay” Hiccup asks barely containing laughs behind his lips. “Uh, of course I’m okay!” Snotlout says, still stuck under Hookfang. “What, you think I’m some sort of dragon rider who can’t even control his own dragon? When I say ‘fly,’ Hookfang flies. And when I say ‘sit,’ Hookfang sits. “On you, apparently,” Hiccup jokes, you can barely contain your laughs and Hiccup looks to you and smiles, glad that he’s made you laugh. Snotlout narrows his eyes angrily, but hen notices you. All of a sudden, Snotlout tilts his helmet forward and tries to intimidate you from under Hookfang. “What’re you looking at, newbie? Oh, don’t even bother answering, because I’m gonna tell you what you’re looking at! I mean, I don’t like to brag, but I’m the guy who practically invented dragon training, not to mention the reigning Thawfest champ on Berk for the past seventeen years and—“ Hookfang then drops his head so it crashes into Snotlout’s head below. “—counting!” Snotlout manages to muffle out from under Hookfangs heavy jaw. Hiccup throws his hands in the air, exasperated. “Well, this is what I get for thinking Snotlout might have something useful for a change.” “Ahem. Can you guys please keep it down?” asks a timid voice from behind you. Hiccup, Toothless, and you turn around and find a giant, yet gentle, Viking giving a bubble bath to an equally plump dragon. “You’re interrupting Meatlug’s bath time!” “Uh… sorry, fish legs, and…uh, sorry Meatlug. Glad to see you’re enjoying the new dragon wash we built!” Hiccup says slightly surprised. Meatlug nudges a lever in the tub with her snout, triggering more sudsy water to pour on top of her. “Don’t worry, we’re not all like Snotlout He’s just threatened by the way Ruffnut’s been looking at me…” Fishlegs says to you. Hiccup rubs his forehead in annoyance. “Y’know, it’s probably not too late for me too drop you off at another island, if you’d prefer.” You get the sense that Hiccup’s kidding, but Toothless looks at you with round puppy eyes and whimpers. You know you’d probably miss him, too. “Fishlegs, you didn’t happen to see a baby dragon about, yay big, tear through the hangar, did you?” says Hiccup gesturing with his hands. “Oh, boy did we ever!” Fishlegs squeals excitedly while scrubbing joyfully under Meatlugs jaw. “Of course, it was moving so fast, we couldn’t get a good look. All we really saw was a dark shadow shoot past us. The little scamp must’ve snuck in through the hatchling door on the other side of the hangar. And I’m guessing he or she snuck back out that way when the dragons in here startled it with all of their growling and wing-flapping,” Hiccup says while pulling out his map. “Meaning our little dragon hunt isn’t over yet…” Hiccup mutters.

-Journal-

Ah, it is Fishlegs! That name makes much more sense than Fisheggs…I guess. But who am I to talk? I don’t even know what to call myself…

In a way, I’m sort of glad that I have to chase this runaway baby dragon. Having a goal (even an insane one) gives me something to focus on instead of obsessing over all of the holes in my memory. I keep thinking that, if I concentrate hard enough, I’ll remember something. The details feel like they’re out there, just out of reach. And it’s not just that I don’t recall anything about myself…I can’t even think of a single person from my past (except for maybe Dagur).

Did I have friends like Hiccup or Astrid or Fishlegs back home? What did we do for fun? Did we embrace dragons the way Vikings do on Berk…or did we live in fear of them? And if I do have any friends, are they out there looking for me as I write these very words? Ugh, there I go again, asking questions without answers.

Gotta focus on the goal, gotta find that hatchling.

If only we knew more about it, like how it looks, or what it likes to eat as we only know that it is a dark colour. I noticed Fishlegs made a set of cards with dragon details on them. What I wouldn’t give for a deck of my own right now! For some reason, facts seem comforting to me, although I have no idea why…

And as Toothless flies Hiccup and I out of the Dragon Hangar and back into the bright sky, I realize that clutching onto Hiccups back with the scent of his leather armour & Night Fury saliva I feel safer than I ever have before. Come to think of it those caves were pretty comforting, too. It’s strange, but staying in a dark space seems way better to me than being exposed by bright light. Did I always feel this way… or did that come after I was lost at sea?

Focus. On. The. Goal

Who knows, maybe we’ll find the hatchling hiding inside another cave under Berk. I mean, this island must have hundreds of caverns criss-crossing under its surface. I wonder if they’ve all been discovered yet. What kinds of new surprises could still be waiting beneath berk?

Whoops, there I go again.

FOCUS.

But, first— Snotlout? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Is that guy SERIOUS? HA HA HA HA HA!