EVENT - Silent Night [Open]

[Midnight[x]Traitor]

There were no stars or moon tonight. If there had been a moon it would be past highmoon by now. On the island of Berk, all was quiet. The waves crashed into the side, but the ocean was relatively quiet. Barely a breeze stirred that frigged night. Most of the dragons and people of Berk had gone to bed. A few vikings gathered around a fire, and occasionally glanced at the sky. They had been given night watch duty, but their vigilance had grown weary. There had not been any attacks on them for awhile, and although this would be the perfect night for an attack, they were at ease. Even their dragons curled up on heated rocks to snooze away. Little did they know that some Outcasts were headed their way.

Vermundr cruised alongside other dragons being forced to head to Berk, where they knew they would attack the unsuspecting village. They had formed a "V" formation to allow for dragons in the back to use less energy when flying, although there was barely any wind tonight. Ver gazed straight ahead, dreading the encounter that awaited them. He didn't want to attack anyone, especially defenseless dragons. Perhaps in the mess he would try and throw off his rider, but knew he would no be able to remove the head restraint they had on him without a human's help. It allowed him to open his mouth enough to breathe fire, but nothing more. He could perhaps pin another viking down and force them to take it off. He wondered if the dragons on Berk were treated just as poorly as them...or worse. Ver growled, and his rider patted his head. Yes, I'm ready to attack them, too. Save your rage for the fight. Ver snorted and wished the dumb humans could speak Dragonese so he could really speak his mind. Vermundr suddenly noticed a light ahead. It flickered and danced in the night, and Ver knew they would reach Berk soon.

Back on Berk, Kiira rolled over in her bed. She pulled the blankets closer to her and fell back asleep.

[Deleted]

Katla had been resting on Mapleslasher's back, attempting to sleep but failing, quite horribly. No memories had come to her yet. She was a bit pessimistic already when she came to the island, but now she felt as if there was no hope. Why wish for something that would never come true? It was pointless, but Katla still lay there, under the stars, searching her mind for even a blur of her old life.

Mapleslasher, her orange Timberjack, noticed that Katla was feeling upset. She unfolded her large wings and covered Katla up, partially wrapping her into a dragon hug of sorts, and partially giving Katla a blanket to keep her from getting too cold from a chill in the air. As a wanderer duo, Katla and Mapleslasher relied on each other for literally everything, and keeping each other's spirits high was one of their conditions of their friendship. After all, they were practically family; and what else was family for?

However, Katla gently pushed Mapleslasher's wings off of her when she noticed something in the distance. "Come on, Maple... Let's go see what that is," said the young traveler, and she was quick to put Mapleslasher's specially fitted saddle on the dragon's back. She hopped on, and the two slowly flew around the island to see what had caught Katla's eye. Since that were all away around the island, Katla could hardly see the incoming threat. Little did she know, Katla was about to have to make an alliance, and quick, if she wanted to survive.

[Dusty the Small]

Dusty was asleep in her home, not far from the Haddock house. She felt safer being near Hiccup since they had grown up together. She snuggled in and covered up, and was fast asleep very soon. Slicediver was also sleeping soundly in his stable. He'd heated his rock up just right and let out a sigh before drifting off. Hiccup, however, didn't get a lot of sleep. He was in his workshop, sketching up new designs. Night was usually the only time he got to himself. Toothless was right outside, and from the sound of it he was trying to shoo away a few baby dragons. Hiccup could hear them squawking at Toothless as he grumbled at them. Hiccup chuckled when Toothless finally lost his temper and roared aggressively to scare the babies away.

Getting lost in thought, Hiccup's mind began to wander. Dusty had mentioned something about that wanderer and her timberjack. Hiccup had meant to greet them, but he simply hadn't had the time. Things were busy on Berk, with accidental fires and vikings wanting saddles. Between that and trying to keep Dusty out of trouble Hiccup had to be nocturnal in order to get anything done for himself. But Toothless seemed to notice something in the sky. When Hiccup glanced at him, he saw how the night fury perked up, his eyes fixed on something.
Hiccup stepped outside. "What's the matter, bud?" he asked the dragon as he went to stand beside him. He placed his hand on the flat of Toothless' head and tried to follow his gaze. He had to squint to see what was up there. It was the very stranger that Dusty had told him about. Hiccup got a sick feeling in his stomach.

He grabbed his helmet and hopped into the saddle, making sure to hook himself in. "We need to check this out. Let's go, Toothless." Toothless took off and Hiccup had no trouble adjusting his prosthetic tail to keep up.

Dusty's Speech	Dusty's Thoughts
Slicediver's Speech	Slicediver's Thoughts
Halvor's Speech	Halvor's Thoughts
Hiccup's Speech	Hiccup's Thoughts
Toothless' Speech	Toothless' Thoughts

[Deleted]

Tara had left Dragon Island late on purpose, wanting to see the island of Berk on her own terms. She rode Sundancer bareback, as always, and she felt the stormcutter's muscles shift when the dragoness moved under her rider.

So this is Berk... This village must be bustling and lively during the day, but right now it is still... Wait...

"Sundancer, can you hear that?" The dragoness chirred softly in agreement. "Yeah... Keep your eyes open, it might be the alpha that Dusty girl mentioned." Sundancer made another noise, different this time. Tara leaned closer to her head. "What?"

"Another stranger, who does not smell like the village below."

Tara looked around. "I don't see anything... Your nose is certainly better than my eyes. Come, love, let's land in that clear spot there. If the alpha is out, we don't want to appear a threat." Sundancer slowly lowered herself and landed in the middle of the square. It was a surprisingly quiet landing for something so large. Tara grabbed onto Sundancer's extended wing tip and landed with bend knees on the ground. Her outfit was the same as her usual, a simple top of animal hide that left her stomach bare, and a bit of hide to cover her lower half as well. Her feet were bare, and her long hair was tied in a braid down her back.

[Midnight[x]Traitor]

The light came closer and closer every second. Vermundr suddenly picked up movement from far away. It was almost unnoticeable, and disappeared quickly, but Ver knew it was a dragon. He had practically drown up in a prison, so his eyes were more powerful in very dull light than many other dragons. His pupils dilated more in the dark to make up or the lack of light and... there! The light from Berk nearly blinded him, but he was able to see the figure flying towards them. It was still a ways off, but definitely closing in. Suddenly, a new shape lept off Berk to intercept the newcomer. It was then that they realized that they did know they were being attacked! If they had figured out Outcasts were heading to the island, surely they would have sounded an alarm. A new wave of sensation rushed over him. Him and severally other dragons balked in mid air, and shook their heads with fear---the alpha. They had felt the presence of the alpha, although he was not commanding anyone but the dragons on Berk.

Ver had experienced an alpha before. He had been in the fight when the two Bewilderbeast faught, and the human alpha ruled over for awhile. He had seen the alpha too, but had never experienced the species before in his life. If this new alpha is dominant over my former alpha, than Berk must be a much crueler place than where I am now to be able to control such a powerful alpha. I must not get captured!

The weight on his back shifted as his rider shifted to reach into his backpack. Alright dragon. Time to try some of this new stuff that Drago has whipped up for us. Its a salve to prevent the control of the alpha. He began to rub the salve over Ver's head, and it began to clog his senses. They had tried to stuff before, and it took him awhile to get used to it, but the sudden loss of hearing and sensing made him panic still. Eventually, though, he calmed down. At least he could see. The leading dragon rider turned to the group and made a gesture. Next thing Vermundr knew was that they were heading straight up into the clouds. They were planning to dive on Berk from above the clouds.


OOC: please let me know if the salve is okay. I just thought the fight might be too easy if Toothless just controlled them And its an interesting new concept they could possibly explore!

[Deleted]

Swoosh. Mapleslasher dashed through the fog so gracefully Katla almost forgot that they were worried about something in the first place. Still, seeing something swoop down through the clouds ripped the wanderer from her trance. "Slow down, girl," Katla whispered softly to Mapleslasher, and the Timberjack eased her pace, almost as if she was in slow motion, as they both peered in the direction of the movement.

"Mapleslasher... Head that way, but be careful," mumbled Katla, her voice a bit more stern, as she knew Mapleslasher was one to chicken out of threatening situations like this one. The tamed dragon was extremely hesitant, and Katla's added warning didn't make her want to go any more, but rider's word is law, or at least that was Mapleslasher's code.

She graciously spread out her humongous wings, their span several sheep long. They created rushing wind around Katla, blowing her red hair behind her in a wavy but relaxing way as she pulled her quiver full of arrows over her shoulder. She continued to reach for her bow that was connected to Mapleslasher's saddle, then place a sharp stone-tipped arrow upon the thin string of the bow. She was poised to shoot at any moment if the need arose. It was a picturesque moment, but Katla cared nothing for this if either her or her dragon's lives were in danger.

[Dusty the Small]

Hiccup squinted at the large figure. It looked like a timberjack, but his eyes hadn't adjusted to the dark yet. Toothless, on the other hand, saw exactly what was going on. He growled but spoke up. He knew Hiccup would rather avoid a fight, and this human had something sharp and deadly.

"We won't attack unless you do!" he warned. Hiccup patted the side of his neck, just above the saddle. "Easy, bud." he said softly enough that only Toothless could hear him. "Hey! Don't attack, I'm the chief of Berk. We're just curious about you. We're not here to hurt you."

Toothless heard something else and turned his head to see what it was. There were more dragons, coming straight for them. He growled at them and Hiccup noticed. He tried to follow his dragon's gaze, but he couldn't see anything. Something wasn't right. After all those years, he trusted Toothless to know things that he didn't, especially when it came to danger. "You should land. There's trouble, and you don't seem like you're part of it. We're gonna check it out."

Without waiting for a reply, Hiccup leaned left, giving Toothless the signal to leave the timberjack and her rider. They would either take his advice or get tangled up in whatever mess was headed their way. The night fury called out to the timberjack as he left. "If you're the one Slicediver told me about, you need to find him. He's in his nest. Tell him something's happening." Hopefully he could rely on her. He didn't know for sure but he also didn't have time to wait and see what happened.

Dusty's Speech	Dusty's Thoughts
Slicediver's Speech	Slicediver's Thoughts
Halvor's Speech	Halvor's Thoughts
Hiccup's Speech	Hiccup's Thoughts
Toothless' Speech	Toothless' Thoughts

[Deleted]

Mapleslasher stopped abruptly when a night fury flew right in front of her. "I'm not interested in attacking," Mapleslasher's redhead rider, Katla, yelled in return to the chief, raising her hands in defeat. She was simply a wanderer visiting the place, and she had no idea that this raid was coming. She had started to like Berk, despite her earliest memories of the island being not-so-pleasant. She paused when she saw the night fury interacting with Mapleslasher, not wanting to distract them if they were sharing important information. Katla wasn't exactly sure how, but she knew that some way, dragons communicated with each other.

Mapleslasher paid close attention to Toothless' instructions as soon as he mentioned one of her friends' names. Slicediver was Dusty's dragon that Mapleslasher had met just a while before. Hoping that her rider would understand, Mapleslasher nodded to Hiccup's dragon quickly and flew swiftly back down to the island in search of Slicediver, her wings swishing through the night air. During this, Katla was confused but trusting in her dragon as she lowered her stomach down onto the leather saddle on her dragon's back, hoping that Mapleslasher knew what she was doing. If she didn't, this could end badly...

[Deleted]

"Hey, that's... That's a night fury!" Tara said with a soft gasp. "So its true. The alpha of this island really is a night fury!" She clambered back onto Sundancer, sitting in that spot where her neck met her back. The stormcutter looked around, searching for the one familiar face she would know in this village. Slicediver... His nest... Sundancer followed her nose, and found Slicediver's nest easily after she'd distinguished his scent from the others that filled the island. She looked around the strange nest, trying to find a way to get in. She tapped her nose on a couple spots before getting frustrated.

"Slicediver, I am here," she said quietly. Hopefully it was loud enough to wake him, but not the rest of the village. Tara turned her gaze back to the sky, to see if she could locate the night fury again. She was unsuccessful, for a moment, until the patch of stars she was looking at disappeared for a moment. "There are strangers in your sky. The alpha is already searching." Sundancer said.

[Midnight[x]Traitor]

The dragons finally reached above the island, hiding in the clouds above. The broke from the V formation and simply circled above the island in a large O. The cloud barely make out the island below, and although the humans could not see it, the dragons could see movement below. The guards who stood up straight since their Chief was awake. One night-watch smacked his sleeping brethren, who snorted awake before Hiccup could see them. Above the island, the Outcasts waited for a signal. It was the peace before the storm. Vermundr only hear the sound of soft wing beats, and his own racing heartbeat. He only prayed that these "Berkians" would not capture him. He hoped in all the mess he could throw his rider and fly away. Of course, he had to find a way to get his muzzle piece off of his head. Vermundr glanced up at the raid leader, a man named Cobalt. Drago had chosen him to lead. Of course the human alpha didn't accompany him. Ver thought it as a sign of weakness.

Cobalt, atop his Monstrous Nightmare, raised a hand. Ver's pupils constricted. One heartbeat. Two heartbeat. Three heartbeat. His hand flew down. The dragons all folded their wings, dropping like rocks onto the sleeping island. Ver opened his wings at the last minute and landed heavily on top of a house. He let breath of fire into the house. He let out a roar, and could feel the adrenaline coursing through him. All the humans would pay.

Kiira heard the roar of a dragon, and the shouting of many men. She flung off her bed sheets and raced to the window. The fire of dragons reflected in her blue eyes. She changed into more protective clothes, grabbed her dagger, and raced down the stairs. Her mother Holly grabbed her by the back of her shirt. Kiira you can't fight in this battle. In other words she meant "you need a dragon to fight". Kiira pushed her mother's arm away. I can fight. Holly shook her head. Stay here. Before Kiira could say more, she raced out the door and jumped on Lillydew's back. Kiira clenched her dragger. I have to help somehow. She raced out the door into the night.

[Dusty the Small]

Slicediver blinked a few times and shook his head. After a few seconds he was fully awake. He peered out from his nest to see Sundancer. It was a surprise, and the words took a few seconds to process. "W-What? Strangers?" A dragon's roar cut him off. There was fire on the island. Without thinking, he darted out of his nest and opened both sets of wings to fly as fast as possible to Dusty's house.

Dusty woke with a start to the sound of something heavy on her roof. For a second she thought it was Slicediver, but it was still dark out. Then suddenly her roof was ablaze. A strange roar shook her small home and she knew she had to get out of there. She snatched her unfinished flight suit and one set of day clothes, along with her staff, and ran outside. Once she was out she saw that the whole village was under attack.

Toothless saw the dragons as they started their dive and let out a roar as he pursued them. Hiccup leaned forward as Toothless dived, but even with his legendary speed, he was too late. He roared so loud that it hurt Hiccup's ears, rousing the other dragons of the island, calling them to fight. Slicediver landed just long enough to get Dusty safely in the saddle. She'd thrown on her flight suit, figuring leather would provide better protection than cloth, even though it was unfinished and not safe to use. There was a helmet that came with it, roughly resembling Slicediver's face. She slipped it on as he flew upwards and started to circle the village.

Toothless landed heavily on the ground and readied a blast of plasma. "We need to stop the leader, Toothless!" Hiccup called. The night fury swallowed the blast and looked around for someone that seemed to have some authority.

Dusty's Speech	Dusty's Thoughts
Slicediver's Speech	Slicediver's Thoughts
Halvor's Speech	Halvor's Thoughts
Hiccup's Speech	Hiccup's Thoughts
Toothless' Speech	Toothless' Thoughts

[Deleted]

Mapleslasher continued to fly down to Berk in order to find Slicediver even when enemy dragons pelted down from the clouds. This caused increasing worry in Katla, causing her to try and pull back on Mapleslasher's reigns. Whatever mission the night fury had given Mapleslasher, it was not worth dying for.

Yet, for the first time ever, the Timberjack ignored Katla's orders. Mapleslasher was not going to let Slicediver die. So instead of flying upwards like her rider had commanded, the orange dragon dodged flames and attackers in search of her friend. When Mapleslasher just barely avoided a fiery rooftop, Katla let out a shrill cru and laid her head on the Timberjack's back, gripping onto the saddle for dear life.

This is it, Katla thought, this is where I die. "I hope to Odin you know what you're doing," she rumbled, a bit angry that her dragon was ignoring her demands. They were, after all, to keep the two of them safe.

The two of them were close to Slicediver's hut when a swooping enemy dragon hit Katla off of her dragon's back. Katla flew towards the cold ground in mere seconds and landed with a loud thump before Mapleslasher could catch her. Her scream pierced the clouds but stopped abruptly when her head hit the island floor. The Timberjack aborted her mission to find Slicediver in an instant; Katla was more important.

She bowed her large head down by Katla, nudging her rider softly amidst the war around them. She had made a huge mistake. This could badly injure Katla... Her amnesia could come back, what if she didn't even remember Mapleslasher? Or worse... what if Katla was gone forever?

(Whoops I got a little carried away)

[Deleted]

She heard the scream, and her instincts kicked in. "Sundancer, you help them protect this village!" she told her dragon. Sundancer hesitated, opening her first set of wings. "Go! I'm going to help the people I can down here!" She wrapped her arms around the dragoness's neck. "Be safe, my friend," she said, softly kissing the stormcutter's cheek. She stepped back and Sundancer opened her second set of wings and shot into the sky. Tara ran toward where the scream had been cut off and got to her knees.

"I can help," she told the timberjack. "I may not be from here, but I swear I am not here to bring harm to your rider or to your village." She knew she wouldn't be able to do anything if the girl's dragon didn't let her get to the girl, but that's what dragon did. They protected their own. It was strange, how loyal dragons could be.
_________________________

Sundancer found the alpha and landed before him. I am Sundancer, and my girl and I are here to help, she told the night fury, dipping her head slightly in a very quick motion. With that, she opened her wings again and shot into the air. Her iridescent scales shimmered in the light from the fires, giving her an odd glow, but she still found the monstrous nightmare that had a different scent than the Berk dragons did. She opened her mouth and shot her spiraling fire at the dragon with the different scent, noting that the smell was mixed with something that just didn't smell natural. It was stinky, and she wanted to get away from it as soon as possible. But she knew this island might be their home soon enough, and it needed to be defended.

[Midnight[x]Traitor]

Vermundr let out another breath of fire before he was side tackled by a heavy Gronckle. His rider stayed on his back when Ver hit the ground, but the Gronckle didn't wait for him to get up. She threw her club-like tail at him, hitting him heavily in the chest as he tried to get up. Ver tumbled over backwards, his rider flying off. Vermundr got back up, letting out a growl that almost came out like a hiss. The Gronckle eyes him, ready to fight. Why are you attacking my village? She growled at him. Vermundr let out a puff of smoke. I have no choice. Just as you have no choice. The Gronckle gave him an odd look, but it didn't last long when Cobalt on his Monstrous Nightmare flew from above and used his legs to swipe the Gronckle over. Cobalt had his dragon land, then gazed around the village. Vermundr had his chance to run, yet was confused when he realized most of the Berk dragons merely had saddles on. Some even had no equipment on! Was the Alpha's power so great that the dragons dare not turn on their riders? Vermundr felt a weight on his back and his rider got back on. You, Cobalt pointed to his rider and Vermundr, go raid where the dragon eggs are. Get something to carry them in and take them back to Outcast Island. Cobalt yelled loudly, then yelled a few other commands to some of the other Outriders. A breath of fire raged at Cobalt and his dragon, and they turned their attention to the Stormcutter, obviously eyeing it. Ver knew that look. It was the look he gave dragons when he was considering taking them back to Drago. Ver snorted and took off in the direction of the Dragon Stables.

Kiira stealthily moved along the houses, dagger in her hand. She quickly jumped out of the way of two fighting dragons, and paused to consider helping, but knew she would be no help there. I gotta find a way to help... She spotted Hiccup and Toothless in the midst of the battle, then in the distance heard the shouting of an unfamiliar voice. She saw a dragon, which she had never seen before, take off in the direction of the stables. The eggs! Kiira noticed everyone was preoccupied with their own fight, so she decided to head for the nursery.

Lillydew, land near that Timberjack. Lillydew dove down and landed next to the fallen girl and Holly quickly got off. I am the healer here. What happened? She asked the other girl. She cared little for whether these girls were Outcasts or not. She would heal any injured. Lillydew stayed near Holly, in case the Timberjack became territorial. Don't worry, my rider will help your girl.

[Deleted]

Mapleslasher was overwhelmed by and suspicious of all the people who came to heal Katla. She guarded her rider with her large, spiky orange wings, creating a tent around her unconscious companion. Mapleslasher knew how vulnerable Katla was as she saw her eyelids shut and vibrant red hair splayed all around her on the ground. Because of this, Mapleslasher wanted to protect her, so the dragon added a slight growl to intimidate the humans.

Yet, after thinking about it for a moment, Mapleslasher decided the help these people offered was valuable. The Berkians knew nothing about Katla and Mapleslasher when they arrived at the island a few days ago, but they trusted the wandering duo anyway. They could have been shooed away and banned for good, but they weren't. Maybe it would have been better if they did, and they could have just avoided this whole thing in the first place...

With a soft sigh through her large nostrils, the Timberjack pulled away from Katla and nodded, hoping her sudden change of attitude didn't scare them off or confuse them too much. Looking at the healer's dragon, she said, "This is my rider. She fell off when one of the enemies came pelting towards her." She hoped that would be enough information for the proclaimed helpers, but waited on the side in case they needed anymore.