☽𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎☾
"𝐖𝐄'𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇, 𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏"

Pulling through a flurry of wings -- a curtain of swirling color... ... Unveiling Hiccup and the rescue team returning from the raid, leading the group of freed dragons. Hiccup turns in the saddle, revealing bustling Berk in the background -- a hive of activity. Hundreds of dragons in movement. "This... is Berk! Your new home away
from home. A stunning one-stop, all-expense-paid dream destination!" He starts as they fly into the clustered, overbuilt village skyline. Dragons are perched on every available rooftop, greeting the arriving newbies with excitement. They take flight, following the returning rescue party in a parade of color.

"So settle in and let your worries melt away! The service here soars, the cuisine's fiery..." hiccup continues. A dragon roasts a rack of meat for a Viking cook. The whole hut catches fire. A Scauldron flies by and douses it with a blast of water. Gothi cuts across their path, wilding riding her staff like a witch's broom carried by terrible terrors. "... and the locals are as colorful
as you get!"

The ground is crawling with dragons of every kind. So many that no factual background is visible. Vikings travel to and fro by hopping from dragon to dragon, like a giant game of Frogger. "Any run-of-the-mill paradise boasts beaches and sunshine. Well, not us. We've got something no one else can touch. We, my friend, have dragons! Lots and LOTS of dragons!" Hiccup smiles as they land on the dragon elevator in the center of the upper plaza. The crowd of Vikings scatters, moving out of the way of the new dragon arrivals. Two sheep dressed as dragons continue grazing as the shadow of the gigantic new dragons comes across them. They panic and runoff, leaving their dragon costumes behind.

Toothless and Hiccup hop off of the elevator and onto the crowded plaza. "Gang, meet our latest Berkians!" Hiccup calls, and "OOHS" and "AHHS" sound. The crimson goregutter surveys his new surroundings as Berkians put their hands out to greet it. "Welcome to paradise, mate!" A Viking says. The Rescue Team lands, followed by the overwhelmed newbies. Berkians and dragons alike surround the new dragons, giving them a heroes' welcome. "Aren't you a beauty!" A woman calls to a dragon as she walks over and strokes it.

"Oh, you're welcome. You're welcome. I took on, like a hundred trappers, a thousand trappers." Snoutlout gloats, smiling. "All with burning undies." Ruffnut snickers.  Tuffnut pops off his helmet. Surrounding Vikings and dragons recoil from the stench. "My thick, full beard almost caught on fire." He complains and strokes his "beard," his hair braided around his face.

∽♦︎∽

"Ugh. ... stop." His sister groans. Snotlout saunters up to Valka, puffing his chest out. "So, Hiccup's Mom, any notes on my
bone-crushing assault, or was it pretty much perfect?" He asks, looking pretty proud. Valka answers lightly, "Oh, it was... indescribable. And
please, call me Valka. It has been a year." She then walks off to inspect the newly freed dragons, leaving Snotlout grinning from ear to ear.

"First name basis." He mutters under his breath. Hiccup mashes Toothless' cheeks. "I think the real hero of the day was Toothless. Isn't that right, Bud? What would we do without you, oh King of Dragons? What would we do?" He praises his dragon, who purrs happily. Astrid hops out of Stormfly's saddle, rolling her neck. "Well, we could train a lot harder, for one. That was pretty sloppy." She says. Valka looks over, smiling. "Astrid does have a point. Perhaps you all rely a little bit too much on your dragons... and not enough on one another." Valka says, putting its delicacy.

"See, that's exactly what I was saying! Just listen up, guys." Snoutlout gloats, making Astrid rolls her eyes. Snotlout saunters up to Hiccup. "Yep, your Mom's super impressed with me. I'm like the son she always wanted." He says, nudging a hiccup in his side. Fishmeat hops out of Fishlegs' pouch and scurries over to the giant Crimson Goregutter. "Fishmeat! You found a new friend!" Fishlegs calls happily, and Fishmeat dances at the Goregutter's feet. In response, the Goregutter pounces playfully, clumsily slamming into the towering totem.

"Mind your heads!" A Viking calls out in warning. It cracks, teeters, and collapses. Vikings holler and dive for cover. Dragons take to the air. The totem smashes into a "birdhouse" structure, creating a chain effect of collapsing buildings. The last topple goes over the cliff. Hiccup and Toothless cringe as Gobber pushes through the crowd, looking more cluttered than ever. "What good is having the King of Dragons around if he can't keep the order?" He calls angrily.

Hiccup sighs and turns toothless. "Hey, bud, You wanna... do something here, or...?" He starts and toothless nods calling the Goregutter into line with a roar. He bows respectfully. The baby Gronckle scurries off, imitated. Gobber then calls, gesturing to the new dragons, "And where do you suppose we put these?!" Hiccup answers him, shrugging, "Oh, we'll make room." Gobber sighs and turns to see the beach ball-sized Hobgobbler staring blankly at him. He gasps.

"Ah! You brought back a Hobgobbler?! They're a bad omen. We're cursed!" Gobber exclaims. Valka scoops up the Hobgobbler, looking it over
affectionately. "Nonsense. What harm could he do?" She says, and meanwhile, the dragon never takes its eyes off of Gobber. "No injuries. They're all a little shaken but otherwise healthy." Valka says, then calls out, "Now, who's hungry?"

∽♦︎∽

In the great hall, The Berk is equivalent to a crowded cafeteria. Dragons and Vikings crammed in together, filling every space, sprawled out on tables, hanging off chandeliers. Hiccup and Toothless enter last, with Gobber hobbling alongside, exasperated. "Point is, you can't keep bringing dragons back here." The man says. As Gobber and Hiccup make their way through the crowd of dragons and people, snoutlout runs by with his dragon.

"Come on, boy!" He calls. Hiccup and Gobber wait for them to pass, then continue walking. "You're just asking for trouble." He continues. Hiccup throws a hand in front of Gobber, stopping him from stepping forward. A mischievous dragon scampers past, with a burly Viking in close pursuit. "No, you don't, you little thief!" He calls, and Hiccup and Gobber wait for them to pass, then resume. "Those trappers are getting closer by the day," Gobber says.

"We can handle them. We have the Alpha. Isn't that right, Bud?" Hiccup says and pats toothless. He then continues, "Would you look at how happy they are?" Gobber grumbles as they navigate the chaotic hall, dodging Gothi as she flies by, carried by dragons. Valka is arm-wrestling the brawny Spitelout. She wins. Beside her, Snotlout was watching in slack-jawed awe. "She's... awesome." He mutters. Hiccup throws an arm around Gobber as they join the lunch- line. Stew is ladled into heaping bowls and handed off to the hungry arrivals.

"Gobber! Relax, we did it. The
world's first dragon-Viking utopia. We made the dream a reality!" Hiccup exclaims, and Gobber sighs and says, "Your dream, maybe. Mine's less
crowded and more -- AGHH!" He cuts his words short as he sees The Hobgobbler bob up, basking in the steaming cauldron of stew. "Sanitary." He finishes. Hiccup smiles and says, "Gobber! You're not fooling anybody. I know you love them." When they leave, the cauldron Toothless calls the young dragon out of the stew pot with a low growl. The newbie crawls out and slinks off sheepishly.

Hiccup and Gobber carry their filled bowls to the head table and squeeze between Astrid and Valka, crushing them. "You're supposed to be the
generation that leads us into the future," Gobber says. He looks around at the Gang. Tuffnut picks his teeth while Belch steals his food. Snotlout starts a food fight with Hookfang. " Ha! Food fight!" Snoutlout calls out; meanwhile, Ruffnut vapidly gazes at her reflection in a tankard... "Gor-ge-ous." She swoons and then gets hit with a turkey leg. She joins the food fight. "Watch the hair!" She growls.

All the while, Fishlegs feeds Fishmeat in a highchair, making dragon sounds as he flies a spoonful of stew into its open mouth. "Good Fishmeat! On-nom-nom-nom." He cooed. Gobber gets hit with a lump of food. He wipes it off, glowering. "Ugh. Thor, help us." He hissed and grabbed Astrid and Hiccup, pulling them together in a headlock. "Time to stop worrying about problems and start sorting out the ones right here." He says, either ignoring or not hearing Astrid mutters his name, a little uncomfortable.

"Okay, I'll think about it," Hiccup says though his voice is muffled due to being squeezed under the bigger man's arm. "Hang up those saddles and get married." Gobber then says a pregnant pause. The gang gawk at the mention of marriage. "The "M" word," Tuffnut mutters, and his sister shrugs. "Gross." She then smiles a little, "Unless it's me." Gobber continues his predation to get hiccup and Astrid to marry. "Start ruling like a proper royal couple." Hiccup grimaces, his face pressed into Gobber's armpit. Gobber whispers into Astrid's ear.

"Marry him, please. You're the only
one with any sense around here. With you wearing the pants, there's still hope." Gobber says. Astrid peels away, awkwardly recoiling at the proposition. "Wow! Not awkward at all. Thanks for that, Gobber!" She calls and walks off. Gobber calls after her, "Astrid... don't be like that!" Hiccup pops his head out of Gobber's armpit, gasping for air. Tuffnut comes up behind Hiccup.

"Whoa. That is a definitive no. If you need a beard to cry on, lean on my shoulder, and you can cry into my full, thick beard." He says and  pulls Hiccup's face into his filthy "beard." Hiccup thanks him sarcastically, muffled by his "beard." "Oh, thank you, Tuffnut. Thank you... so much." Eret approaches and coughs awkwardly as Tuffnut clutches Hiccup in his beard. "Eret, son of Eret! What's the report?" The chief calls are untangling himself from his friend's hair.

∽✍︎∽