I'm back! And with more motivation and inspiration than ever, so expect lots of chapters. But I'm not a very good author, so the quality is useless. Sorry.

This... Is Berk. What's left of it, anyway. It doesn't look like much right now, but battles with armadas tend to make that happen. I'm the chief now. Since the battle, everything has been different. The entire village has been rebuilt. Even the great hall.

But I think some of it has changed for the better. We've tripled the defences, put up a wall and mounted ballistas. This is never, ever, happening again. The losses were just too high. Many good people died, including the chief and... His son.

You know, I never admitted it to anyone, but I loved him. For years. He was so brave, intelligent and sarcastic. But I was too focused on becoming a Viking to realise. I was planning to say it, the day after he...

Well. That's never happening again. I'll make sure of that. Never again.

That is what I think as I trudge slowly along the path towards the Great Hall. The only building not burned to the ground. It's twilight, and I stop, looking up at the first star. I know Hiccup and his father are watching from Valhalla.

What am I thinking? Ugh, I've never gotten this silly in a long time. Pah. I walk on, the day almost over, to my hut.

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As it gets light the next morning, Skytrimmer was the first to stir. She cawed sleepily, and got up, nudging the sleeping figure next to her.

He murmured something indistinct, and sat up, rubbing his eyes and blinking in the early morning light.

"Good morning, Sky." He said. She cawed, pushing her nose into his hand. He laughed quietly to himself.

"You know, Sky." He said, more to himself than to Skytrimmer. "I don't have a name. At least I don't know it." He looked at her, into her deep, raven black eyes.

"Raven black... Raven! I like the name." He said. "My name is Raven." He stretched, and tried to get up, but it became abundantly clear that his side would have none of it. He fell back with a grunt.

"A little help here?" He looked pointedly at Sky. She put her head down, helping him to his feet.

"Thanks." He muttered, stroking her snout horn. He looked around, taking in his surroundings.

Straight ahead, the trees stretched on, and he could see some rocks. Strange amber-like rocks were strewn on the ground. Back the way he had came, the ocean and shore were stretching as fare as the eye could see.

Raven took a tentative step forward and carefully picked up a piece of amber. It was small, and very hard. He looked it over, before dropping it. There was nothing to be gained from this.

"Come on." He said, and the two of them walked slowly on, through the trees. Past the thin layer of trees was something neither of them ever wanted to see again. A huge pile of dragon bones, white and bleached from the sun. Sky began fidgeting nervously. Suddenly a word popped into Raven's head.

"Deathsong." He muttered. "Deathsong." But before he could do anything else, a strange wailing song began. Sky's pupils turned to slits.

"Sky?" Hiccup ventured, looking at her nervously. She ignored him, and pushed her head as far up as possible. Then she lifted off with no warning, following the sound. Raven was thrown backwards hard, reopening the wound on his side. He watched through clouded vision as Sky flew away, into the distance. Then, he passed out.

The next day, at Berk

Astrid awoke very early that morning to a banging on her door. What in Thor's name would anyone be doing up this early? She thought irritably. She got up.

"Yes, yes! I'm coming!" She said, less than amiably. The knocking ceased. Roughly pushing back her incredibly messy hair,(last time she had come out without doing this she had terrified the young girl at the door to the point of hysterics) she opened the door. This time it was Ruff and Tuff at the door. Amendment. She thought wearily. What would anyone sane be doing up this early.

"If this is a prank, you two are up for dragon stable cleaning for a year." Astrid warned.

"We are wounded by your accusations, are we not, brother Nut?" Said Ruff, looking at Tuff.

"Indeed we are, Sis." Said Tuff, doing an exaggerated look of hurt.

"Oh, get to the point!" Astrid huffed.

"We found him on the beach." Grumbled Ruff, pointing at a very bedraggled looking and unconscious Trader Johann.

"Johann?" Said Astrid. "Take him to the Great Hall. I'll be there soon."

Tuff nodded. "Oh and by the way, love the hair. You should try it, Sis." He said, grinning.

Astrid felt her hair. It had flown up again. She grumbled. Tuff pounced on Ruff and proceeded to mess up her hair as violently and as Twinishly(is that a word?) as possible.

"Oh get a move on." Astrid grumbled. She went back into her hut, closing the door on the bickering Twins, and getting ready to see Trader Johann.

I love Ruff and Tuff, they're so funny, so I like to put them in as comic relief. 

🦅—Aquila