A week after their victory, the team was settling back into their usual schedule back on Dragon's Edge. The sun was out and the sky was clear, cool breeze blew in from the north keeping the weather nice and cool. Rays of sunlight illuminated the island with barely a cloud in the sky, it was pristine summer weather. Most of the team with the exception of Forde and Rune said their goodbyes to Astrid and Eret who had taken out the time to drill their off-shore team in rigorous combat drills, testing not only their marksmanship but also their problem solving and tactical skills.
It was a cruel world out there and they were doing their best to ensure that they were well prepared for any challenge they might come across. Their victory also put a target on their backs; hunters would be weary and take extra steps to ensure that they were stopped.
"My arms still sting from all the battles we've been doing" Sten groaned as he rubbed his shoulder.
He, Virgil, Thyra and Vyra stood in front of the training dome as they watched Astrid and Eret disappear into the horizon.
"You don't have to tell me. Those two put us through hell in one week. I'm thankful to the gods that we survived" Virgil said.
"But it's for the best. We're going up against tougher foes who know exactly what we're capable off. It's for the best" Vyra said as she placed her hand on her waist.
"Speaking of things for the best; now that you've decided to stay with us Virgil, have you decided where you're going to build your hut?" Thyra asked.
"Well…" he said scratching his head as he looked around awkwardly. "…not really. I've been looking around for a place with Forde but I haven't picked a spot yet. I've got two and my mind is pretty divided on where to pick. I want it to scream Virgil and Hothead, my comfort zone, If you know what I mean"
"Take your time. We aren't rushing you" said Thyra.
"Speaking of Forde, I haven't seen him or Rune today" Sten said.
"You don't have to be the sharpest mind to guess that those two are probably somewhere geeking out together" Vyra answered.
Over in Rune's hut, Sandstorm and Spikethorn could be seen playing outside as the two pulled on a log from both ends. Rune and Forde on the other hand were hard at work inside. Plans were stuck to a board on the wall, consisting of different sketches and blueprints for their current project. With Forde's help, work went faster than expected and now the two were adding the finishing touches to Rune's flight suit.
Forde had dropped in one day after training and found Rune hard at work. It didn't take much and he was very interested in the project. His brilliant mind helped Rune make adjustments to his initial design and how it would work with his attire. For now they decided to work with leather, basically as a prototype with chainmail mesh for extra protection around the chest for battle.
"I think that should be it" Forde said as he stepped back from Rune.
"Alrighty then. How do I look?" Rune asked.
"See for yourself" he answered as he ushered him to his mirror.
Rune walked forward and gazed upon himself in the mirror. A brown helmet; one resembling Sandstorm's color, with black accents around the eyes and little spikes running down the middle of his head with black on their tips to resemble his dragon's appearance. Thicker shoulder pads on both shoulders were black in color and were marked with the tidal class symbol on his right in turquoise and the strike class dragon symbol in red on his left. A black leather vest with a holster for his axe on the back was worn. He wore a new belt which had attachments down the side that were fastened to Rune's legs held the flaps that he would use to help him glide.
"Mmmm. It looks pretty good I guess" he said. His main aim was to use this as a platform to begin working on their dragon armor version.
"Well this is just the prototype after all. Once we can see how efficient it is, we can get down to the armored version" Forde voiced.
"Agreed! Let's go test it out. It looks like a fine day for flying doesn't it?" Rune said as he looked out through his window.
"It is. The conditions are perfect to test out its capabilities"
The two grabbed their weapons just in case and were ready to set off. As soon as they opened the door they were met by others with Vyra just about to knock on the door. They stopped in their tracks like a deer in headlights.
"Oh, guys, we weren't expecting you" Forde said nervously.
"We didn't see you at the training dome today when we were sending Astrid and Eret off. So we decided to come and look at what you two were up to" Vyra said with suspicion.
"What is that?" Virgil asked pointing at Rune.
"This? This is nothing. It's just a little something Forde and I have been working on" Rune said also with a nervous tone.
"Wait a minute, I've seen that thing before. The helmet, the armor…, it reminds me of something" Thyra said stroking her chin.
"Believe us its just a little project" Forde assured.
"You're building a suit that would let you fly?!" Sten exclaimed.
He snuck in somehow without Rune or Forde noticing (through the window) and had read through their plans.
"So that's what you guys have been up to. Why didn't you just say?" said Vyra.
"Well it was just a prototype. Nothing major" Rune answered.
"Nothing major? It's totally major. Do you know what that means if your design works?" Thyra said.
"Well…"
"It means we can all get to cruise alongside our dragons through the air" Virgil said with an excited voice.
"That would be incredible" Sten added.
"I call dibs on the next suit" Virgil said quickly.
"I'm after Virgil" Thyra said sharply.
Before you knew it, it had turned into a bidding war for who was next in line between the four of them.
"Easy guys" Rune said catching their attention.
"We are still testing things out. Once we approve it, everyone will have their suits and can customize it as they wish. Alright?" he explained.
"Fine with me" Sten said.
"AS long as you make mine first, I am fine" Vyra said proudly.
"Great. Now can Rune and I get going? We don't want the weather to suddenly change for the worst" Forde said.
The group allowed Rune and Forde out of Rune's hut and mount their dragons. The two of them didn't think twice as they took to the skies before another question was asked. They soared high into the clouds and were now miles away from the Edge. They got to their cruising altitude and finally had time to catch their breath now that they were away.
"Man they could be a handful at times" Rune said with a sigh.
"Yeah" Forde agreed with a light chuckle. "But somehow you manage to keep us in check"
"I'm surprised myself. It must be a gift from the gods"
Sandstorm gave a light rumble reminding Rune about why they were out here in the first place.
"Right, time to test this thing out"
Rune checked everything to make sure nothing was loose, everything was fastened and looked okay.
"If anything happens, I trust you to come and rescue me. Right boy?"
Sandstorm replied with an assuring coo, giving him the assurance he needed to take the leap.
"Alright, here goes"
Rune took in a deep breath, preparing himself mentally for what was about to happen. Slowly, he slid off his saddle and began to fall. Sandstorm, Forde and Spikethorn followed the human as he rapidly dropped in altitude. Rune finally opened his eyes a couple seconds in as he looked at the cloud below him. He looked to his sides not seeing a soul close to him; he finally looked down ward as he saw his dragon and friend trailing.
Rune exhaled sharply as he faced forward now. He put his arm into the loops sticking out the side of his pants that were attached to the flaps. He pulled hard on them causing them to come out of his sides. The flaps caught air and lifted Rune into the air. He held his breath for a while, closing his eyes, but after a while, he opened them as he didn't feel himself fall from the sky. He looked around and saw that he was gliding with no problems at all. He looked at the flaps and saw that they were handling things just fine.
He looked to his right as Sandstorm caught up to him and maintained the same speed as him with Forde and Spikethorn leveling out on his left. He was full of joy and excitement, the prototype worked.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Forde, its working! I'm gliding!!" he exclaimed.
"Wooooohoooo!" he cheered.
"Alright, we know you can glide. Let's see you try to do some maneuvers. Try moving left to right" Forde said as he got his notepad and pencil out from his satchel.
"Okay"
Carefully, Rune tilted his body as he moved from left to right in one fluid motion. He felt a bit of turbulence as he moved; the suit wasn't all too stable when it wasn't moving in a straight line.
"How did that feel?" Forde asked ready to write down his feedback.
"Well it was okay but it felt shaky. Not the best of balance, I think we need to work on that next" Rune reported. He didn't know if their language had developed to the point of understanding what turbulence meant.
"Uh huh. Noted. Anything else?"
"Not at all. Everything feels fine from my end"
Rune remembered Hiccup attaching a fin to the back of his suit in the second movie. He figured that it solved that problem, adding stability while in the air. The same principle applied in aerodynamics, all planes needed a stabilizer of some sort to keep the aircrafts balanced whilst they maneuvered. Now that their main tests were done, Rune figured that he would try something out. The blonde boy decided to flip over with his head now facing the sky. This let him get a better look at those next to him.
Forde was impressed, first flight and he was already trying things like that out.
"Alright, my arms are getting a bit sore. I could use your help right now Sandstorm"
Sandstorm just looked at Rune, without a thought behind those eyes.
"Sandstorm?" Rune asked.
"Sandstorm, this isn't funny. I could drop out of the sky at any moment"
His dragon made no effort to come to his aid.
"Sandstorm!!" Rune yelled with vigor.
His dragon finally busted into a laugh as he swooped below him to pick him up.
"You sure enjoy stressing me out" Rune sighed.
Forde shook his head and smiled. Their relationship sure was something.
The two returned to the island just before the sunset. The orange light just as the sun decided beautified the sky. The sea danced as it reflected the heavens on its surfaced. Rune and Forde spoke all the way back home discussing everything from their plans, to the team and a bunch of other topics. Over the last week, their bond had deepened, becoming more like brothers than just mere teammates. The two walked into the clubhouse alongside their dragons with the other four sitting and waiting for them.
"Look who finally decided to show up" Thyra said.
"Were where you two? I thought you'd only be gone for a couple of hours?" Vyra said cross with them.
"Sorry, we took a little detour. We decided to test the suit in some rapid winds. Off some tall mountains and stuff for research" Rune explained.
"Well if you two came back then that means it flies" Sten commented.
"Well, it still needs a bit of work. The suit isn't stable enough while performing turns yet. We still need to work it out" Ford explained.
"So that means we have to wait until we get ours?" Virgil asked.
"Yes. But don't worry it won't be long. Just give us a week or two" Rune answered.
"How did the rest of your days go?" Forde asked.
He and Rune had begun to serve themselves a bowl of Thyra's boar soup.
"Well you know. It was a bit slow. I sat in the watch tower all day and didn't see a thing for miles" Sten said with a sigh.
"Thyra and I also went out on patrol; we didn't see anything out of the ordinary. It looks like Dane's defeat has caused the hunters to take a step back for now" Virgil added.
"Whenever they return, Rune will be ready for them- I mean, we will be ready for them" she said with a nervous laugh.
"Well, if the hunters are taking a break of their own, I think we can take a day or two off" Rune suggested.
"A day off? Where are we going to go?" Thyra asked.
"Most importantly, what are we going to do?" Sten asked.
"Well, we could go back to Berk. It's been a while since any of us have seen our parents. I think it would be a nice reset for us to see them" Rune suggested.
"I kind of like that idea. We never really got the chance to tell them goodbye" Forde chimed in.
"Rune's building buddy is right. I like the idea" Sten supported.
"Aye, I think it's a great idea" Thyra added.
"It's settled then. Plus old Virgil over here can finally get to see Berk with his own eyes"
"I guess so" replied Virgil.
"Okay… we leave in the morning. Remember to pack light if you're carrying anything at all. It's only a few days" he reminded them.