I was Right

I'm so mad I can't see straight. The fact that I'm even able to type this without murdering my poor keyboard is an enormous point for my control. Here's why I'm so mad: Hiccup looks like Hel warmed over then beaten with fifty Gronckles after reliving Dad's death ten times. When I find the poor unfortunate soul who did this, I'm going to MURDER them! Not even the gods would be able or dumb enough to stop me! I have some info from a young Skrill who Astrid is looking after that it was a Mindrake by the name of Lunar. Apparently he's a Night Fury, one of the last ones. I still feel no sympathy toward him. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE who messes with my brother and expects to live without regrets, will rue the day they decided to hurt my family. I'll bide my time, though, and wait for my opportunity. In the meantime we need to get Hiccup out of danger. We'll hide him at my treelab until that (pardon my language) thrice damned beast is taken care of. Worst case scenario: Hiccup stays there until Toothless and the other Hero level dragons are back from wherever they went off on vacation to. Oh! That's another thing I forgot to mention: Toothless is missing, apparently cheated out of his ranking which, by the way, still makes him Alpha.

Homeward Bound!

I'm heading home in the morning, as soon as we have everything packed. I've never wanted to stay away from home before, but this time I'm kinda wanting to stay for a few more days. We've been here almost a month, and I need to get home to my family. I miss them, so it'll be good to see them again. Even though I know everything's fine, I can't help feeling like something's...wrong at home. Like someone I know and love is in danger. It's probably just my anxiety about being away this long, but Darrien and I agreed to fly the remaining stretch in one go, even though his wings will be killing him by the time we land. I've charted fourteen different species of dragon living in this area, and even a couple new ones. I've drawn them and written everything I've learned about them in my field journal for Hiccup to take a look at. There it is again! My twinge of worry announcing itself again.

Happy Snoggletog!

Well, tomorrow is, as my friend on the Mainland says, "Christmas." Sorry for not posting lately. I've been busy preparing, smoking, and salting meat as I'm still away hunting, so I won't be home for the holiday. Darrien refused to leave my side even after all the other dragons left the area. He says it's to keep a sharp eye on me because I'm in a new environment, and surrounded by animals I've never seen before, but I know it's just because he hasn't found a female that he wants to be mated to for life. It's touching, but at the same time kind of heartbreaking. Hiccup, Dad, and Mom all keep asking me why I haven't started dating anyone, and it's because many of them are uncultured fools who would only hold me back from my future endeavors, and freedom.

Encounters with New Friends

Well, I met the locals of a nearby village after helping a young girl who was lost. The villagers, it turns out, are, cautiously optimistic about dragons. I introduced them to Herby and Darrien, and they were awestruck. Darrien practically glowed under the admiration, but I nudged him in the side, since I was still on his back, and he laid down so I could dismount. I showed everyone how to approach him in a non-threatening way since many of them had swords or other weapons at their hips. The first to go on a flight with him was an elderly woman by the name of Rositta. When she dismounted she asked me to show her how to train a dragon. I explained as best I could that I couldn't really speak English as well as it seemed. I showed them how I had taught Herby, then he acted as translator for me.

New Discoveries

Wow! It's been a long time since I posted! Sorry for the delay, everyone. I've been hunting, discovering, and learning all about this new land I found. Herby told me that it's called "Scotland" and the main language here is "English," a strange language that sounds like a harsh song sung by a very drunken Gobber (Trust me, don't ask him to sing when he's so drunk he can barely stand up). So far I've brought down an enormous animal called a "Moose" whose antlers are the size of my father's belly. The meat, when cooked, is tasty, delicious in fact! I'm already starting to think up the recipes I could create with this delicacy, and can't wait to try making the dishes I've come up with. Here is the recipe so far:
Moose Meat over Mashed Potatoes (serves four)
1 pound of moose meat, diced to bite sized pieces.
1 tablespoon minced wild garlic
4 wild onions, diced (*NOTE: This recipe calls for wild onions, but regular onions can be substituted.*)
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Cook the meat until it's well-done, then add the onions and garlic until both are browned and softened. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over mashed potatoes.
Let me know what you guys think of it, and give suggestions for recipes, please!

A New Chapter

(I'm copying this from a journal because I didn't bring my computer with me, and don't know how I would pack it anyways.)
Well, that send off was unusually uproarious, even for a Viking send-off. Darrien and I ceremoniously circle twice before flying off toward the Mainland. As we fly away I can't help but feel like something was...wrong with leaving. If anything happens, I reason, Hiccup will be completely defenseless. I shake my head to clear such sad thoughts from my head. Hiccup has Toothless, and as long as the Alpha is with his best friend, my brother, everything will be alright.
((For those who wish to get an inside look at what's going on both from Toothless' point of view, check out this link to an excellent fan fiction called "Toothless' Kingdom," written by a very good friend of mine, Dragonmic14. Toothless' Kingdom Fan Fiction ))

Off on an Adventure!

Well, after much debating with Hiccup and Mom, it was decided that Darrien and I would go hunting on the Mainland to prepare for the storms that are coming. I'll be gone for about a month, but I might stay longer if the hunting is good. Herby is coming with me to teach me the native languages he knows. I promised Hiccup I'd look for another Night Fury as well, and send it back to Berk if I find one. I head out at noon today, so I won't be writing as much. Sorry everyone!

Winter Storms on the Horizon

Herby and the Terrors have been acting restless lately. I think it's because there's a storm coming and they want to be as prepared as possible for a vicious winter. Why my ancestors chose to settle here completely baffles me, but if they'd gone a bit further South, I could see why. I'm going to talk to Hiccup about Darrien and I going to the Mainland for a month to hunt. I would stick around and hunt here, but I need to be responsible, and cut back on the hunting, which I can do by hunting elsewhere. The wildlife here on Berk is in a delicate balance. I can't disturb it too much or I'll lose the blessings the gods bestow upon me. I still have Dad's bow, and I've broke it in by bringing down a bear I spotted which also posed a threat to another hunter. The strength and power in the bow meant I didn't have to waste four arrows on the bear, I only needed one, and a clean shot. I don't know who was more surprised, the hunter who the bear was stalking or me.

Update

Well, Hiccup and I are back home safely. Mom had to come drop us a rope. How fun... When we climbed out of the ravine, Darrien and Toothless nuzzled us and licked us within inches of our lives, and eventually we all agreed to head back home. There was a big party celebrating our safe return, but I politely excused myself to write this post. Parties have never been my thing. I'd rather spend four hours alone in a room with Dagur and Drago than ten seconds in a party.

Good News/Bad News

Hey everyone! I am currently sitting here writing this with Hiccup beside me. He's trying to read this over my shoulder, but I'm not letting him. (Stop it! Quit being so nosy!) The good news is that Darrien brought back help. The bad news: Hiccup forgot some rope and, again, the passage is too narrow for a dragon to climb down. Well, at least we're not alone?

Completely Forgot!

I completely forgot the most basic of survival skills: spear fishing. I got stranded while out hunting, and Darrien went off for help. He promised he'd be back, but that was twenty-four hours ago. I got stuck at the bottom of a deep ravine and the only way out is either climbing up a sheer cliff with no hand holds and the walls just too narrow to chimney-crawl up. I've got no choice but to wait for help, or try to swim out through a tunnel in a salty pond I discovered. It should, theoretically, connect to the ocean. I'll go exploring and see if I can get to the sea. If I can, I'll blow a hunting horn I always have on me, and bring Darrien speeding back to me. I hope he isn't out of hearing range.
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Well that was pointless. I swam as far out as I could underwater, but I saw no hint of sunlight. The tunnel is too long for me to swim. However, there are fish swimming around, so I know there must be a hole big enough for them to get to. I have a rod and reel, but my bait is in Darrien's saddle.

A Gift From a Friend

Hey guys. Look what a friend of mine drew for us! She's from the Mainland, so it's written in a strange language called "English" so please let me know what you think of it so I can write her a letter.

She used her School of Dragons forum account name for her signature.

End of a Weapon

Well, my bow broke yesterday. It was the bow I had when I became a Haddock, so I guess it's fitting that I lose it after a few years. It'll take me a month to make another one. Until then, I won't be hunting excepting my traps. I'll put up several snares and a few pit-fall traps. I have perfected them, so Berk won't have as much meat for the winter. I can only hope we have enough to survive the winter. Unless someone gives me a new one and I break it in relatively quickly.
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I know it's a sad day for me. I'm forgetful, I know that. But I didn't think it was possible for me to forget my own birthday! Hiccup and Mom surprised me with a party. My brother then brought out a gift Dad had made for me before his death. It's made of a beautiful, dark mahogany with gold and silver inlays and a silver handle that was so intricately carved tears sprang to my eyes. I managed to keep them at bay until I read the inscription in the handle itself:
"To Nina, Love always, Dad."
Hiccup, Mom, and I hugged, comforting each other. I miss him so much. The bow itself is taller than my old one, but it's stronger than my other one. I can pull it back and actually feel resistance. Who knew breaking something could open a door to new opportunities?

Snoggletog is Almost Here!

Hey everyone! Well, it's that time of year again. Berk is covered in a blanket of snow about four feet deep in some places! Brrr! Bundle up, everyone, you'll regret it if you don't. I have my thick fuzzy pants and fluffy boots ready and I've actually got them on to go hunting today. If there's any animals, I'll take it down and Darrien will fly it back to the village. In a couple days the dragons will start their yearly migration to the nesting grounds. Herby hasn't gone since his mate died, and since dragons mate for life, he's vowed to love no other as he loved her.
I know Hiccup and Mom will love their presents I made them. Hiccup is getting an ax he can actually lift while still looking fierce, while Mom is getting a painting Herby did of Hiccup, Toothless, Darrien, Cloudjumper, and I. He's an incredible artist, so I hope she loves it. In case I don't get a chance to get on between now and Snoggletog, have a Happy one!

Strange Occurrences

This might seem common to you, but I have been having strange dreams. Mostly things that seem impossible but later come true. For example: a week ago I dreamed that the moon would go dark, almost like it was being eaten by the night. It did that last night. Hiccup, Mom, Astrid and I were out for a night flight when our dragons suddenly landed and stared up at the moon, growling slightly. When the moon went dark, Toothless did what Darrien did: howled and screamed at the night sky, demanding it "spit the moon out!"

I Might Have Been a Bit Rushed

Sorry about yesterday if I seemed to be rushing things, everyone. I was just in shock a bit.

Two Revelations

I am currently unable to type this. Herby is acting as my secretary-dragon because my hands are shaking so badly I can't even begin to do much more than pace and talk. When we were attacked last night, Thorjul the Newcomer went to the front lines without any weapons or armor. He almost died when a strange new weapon began attacking us, killing a young girl whom Herby had taken a keen liking to.
 Nothing we did could destroy it. He threw himself in front of the creature and said something like, "Brother, your quarrel is with me. Leave these mortals alone." I wasn't close enough to hear everything, but when it clubbed him square in the chest I heard my own scream before I launched myself at the metal beast. I shot an arrow into a chink in its armor, but it didn't do much good. It shrugged its massive shoulders and the arrow fell through to its feet, which seemed to be completely hollow.
Here's where things get really weird: After batting me aside, and stalking toward Thorjul, a rumbling was heard, almost like distant thunder. Suddenly he sat up, pushed Hiccup aside and held a hand out. The hammer that had been resting in my fields flew to his hand, coating him instantly in armor, the likes of which no one had ever seen before.
That's when it hit me: The hammer is Thor's hammer, and the newcomer is Thor! I was almost too stunned to do anything but gawk. With a hefty swing like what Dad would have done, he dismantled the metal-man, reducing him to a pile of scraps. He extended a hand to me and helped me to my feet. Then he said this little tidbit: "You have shown remarkable bravery. Your name shall be sung in honor in Valhalla, something we almost never do when someone still lives."
I managed, somehow, to get out, "T-thank you, Thor."

Making Progress

Well, I suppose I do have a few things to be grateful for. The first and foremost being that the newcomer has begun to learn that it's not okay to order people around, especially if it's not your job. Also, he's learned the basic table manners: saying please and thank you, using a knife and fork instead of his hands and fingers, wiping his mouth with a napkin instead of his forearm, and not breaking his dishes when he is finished with them.
Another thing I have to be grateful for is the fact that I have secondary and tertiary fields for my farm, otherwise we'd have a slim year this year. The frost is coming earlier than normal, or so the elders have declared, and all the food that I have that's ready for harvest is being stored for winter.

Continued Research

After my discovery yesterday, several people stepped up to try again, but aside from getting pulled muscles and strained backs, nothing happened to the hammer. I have yet to try to lift it, but I'm not sure if I want to. No one knows what happens to those who go to Valhalla or Asgard when they are not invited or killed. I, to be frank, do not with to find out.
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It's around midnight and I can't sleep. I can't help but go over the words I read on the hammer. You can only see the inscription if you look closely at certain angles. I think I'm going to wake Darrien up and go for a midnight flight to clear my head and think things over.
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We're under attack! Berserker sail! I have to warn Hiccup, immediately.

A Ground-Shaking Discovery

I noticed some writing on the side of the object, pictured in the "Investigative Drawing" section of this blog. I translated as best I could.
"May he who has the might of Thor bear this weapon." This further supports my theory that the hammer itself is Thor's hammer! If I'm right, this could change the Viking world as we know it.

A Theory

I've got a theory about both the strange object, and the strange newcomer. It's more of a hypothetical idea than anything else, but: What if the hammer is Thor's hammer, and the newcomer is Thor? What if he was just being taught a lesson that only the gods could provide? It would make sense, as he walks around like he has a stick up his - ow!- Herby just tail-whipped my knuckles for almost writing that. Anyways, let me explain:
He walks like he owns everything he sees, earning a few glares from the villagers, who are protective of their things, he orders people around like he's Chief, which earns him a glare from either Hiccup or me, and he smacks dragons aside when they're helping with something or other. Whenever he hits a dragon, even lightly, he gets a tail-whip from Herby, who follows him around regularly. He's in my tree-lab right now, and I'm trying, operative word being trying, to teach him manners. It's even harder than teaching Herby to speak Norse, which took me an entire year.
The villagers have taken to calling him Thorjul (Thor-yul), which is the only thing he responds to. And he just broke a prized invention, but Herby slapped him again so I feel a bit better.

Apologies

I'm sorry for not posting lately. I've been busy with research on what the object could be. No one, not even the dragons working together could lift it or even move it. A newcomer washed ashore yesterday, and he seems particularly fascinated by the object. He tried and it appeared to glow slightly for a brief moment, before falling dark again and remaining firmly in the crater it created. Frankly his manners are atrocious, making Snotlout seem like an upstanding citizen, and the Twins like perfect Valkyries! He said his name is, if memory serves, Thor, but I'm fairly certain he hit his head hard enough to go completely crazy. It's tragic, really.

The Anger of the Gods

How do you know the gods are angry with you? When a bright light flashes in the night, turning the blackness into day. Darrien, Hiccup, Astrid and I were out flying when a blinding light lit up the sky. We couldn't see for a few minutes, even our dragons couldn't see! They stopped, rather suddenly, and hovered until they could see (somewhat), then they landed to check on us. We were fine, a bit star-blinked, but otherwise okay. I'm going to investigate it further while my brother tries to come up with a solution to the gods' anger. If we did anything to make them unhappy with us, we need to figure it out and quickly.
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I'm really interested now. While searching with Darrien and half my Terrors, we stumbled across a strange object in my fields. I was angry at first, then I realized that this was a foreign piece of debris, possibly from an advanced civilization whose technology far exceeded our own. I wrote Hiccup a note and sent it with one of my Terrors. Soon half the village was swarming my farm, trying to get a good look at it. I approached it, ready to dash away at the first sign of danger, and studied it without touching it. There were a bunch of symbols on the side, some of which seemed vaguely familiar. I've drawn them and will post them later when I transfer some of my drawings from paper to computer.

A Decision for the Future

Since my brother and Astrid are now married and living with each other, Darrien and I have unofficially moved into the tree lab, about a two minute flight outside the village. To better understand my tree lab you need to understand the climate in the little valley surrounding it: It's temperate, but not hot. It's almost like a miniature rain forest, but with snow during the winter. I created a little farm in one of the arrow valleys off the main one and so far it's been productive...When it's not being destroyed by the Twins, wild animals, wild dragons, or bad weather! I have lost three harvests due to un-natural, and even natural deviations. The rain I don't mind, as long as my irrigation system can handle the extra water, but when the Twins start getting bored and Hiccup or I don't catch them in time, I lose my crops, and almost lose my cool. If it weren't for my vow to my Terrors that I would never kill a dragon unless it would end their suffering, I would have put dragon meat on the menu years ago. As it is, I get my revenge on the boars that root out my roots, dig up my corn, decimate my Dragon Nip, and otherwise wreck my fields.
I'll see if I can give a rough idea of what my tree lab looks like. (Please ignore the strange shiny thing in the picture, oh and the people too. At least, I think they're people.)

Suspicions Confirmed

Well, I guess I was right on my suspicions for the reason behind Hiccup and Astrid being so eager to marry: They're expecting. Just saying that, or even thinking it makes me smile broadly. Herby actually was the one who confirmed it for m; dragons can smell when a woman is pregnant. Apparently they secrete a certain pheromone that alerts all creatures in the area that she is a special case for her species. Humans can't smell it because our noses are too dull until the levels rise above ninety two percent.

Practicing for the Big Day

Well, the proposal didn't go as planned, but the end result was spectacular. They're engaged now, and they asked me to help them plan it! Okay, okay, let me start with this morning:

I woke up in my tree lab with Hiccup looming over me, inches from my face. I yelped and sat up, bashing both our heads together. We groaned and rubbed the sore spots, before I asked him what his problem was.

"I'm excited, nervous, and anxious. Today's the day, but what if she says no?" he said, a panicked tone in his voice. I swung out of my hammock and sat him down on a stool near my kitchenette.

"If she says no, then it's her loss. End of story. And you woke me up to tell me that?!" I whined. I rubbed my face sleepily, then hauled him to his feet, preparing for either a scolding or a pep-talk. I didn't get a chance to, however, because Mom came in on Cloudjumper, twittering excitedly.

"Today's the big day, Son! You nervous?" she chirped, barely able to contain her enthusiasm.

"Terrified," he replied. His hands were trembling, and he was noticeably tense. I hugged him for encouragement, not trusting my voice to keep from yawning.

"You'll do fine," I assured him after a moment. He ran a hand over my messy braid and hugged me tight before releasing me. I went over to where the Terrors had my soup from last night on to simmer. I lifted the lid and it was ready to serve. I got out a few bowls and dished us out some breakfast. Mom commented on how delicious it was and how did I get so good at cooking? "I've got only one secret: trial and error." Then I explained how there was only one recipe I went by-the-book on: my Feel Better cookies. Basically they're just extra thick chocolate chip cookies. after breakfast, I told Hiccup to go about his chiefing duties to get his mind off it, and meet at the Academy at around sunset. It was Astrid's turn to help me clean up today, and we usually spent an extra hour talking about stuff, both dragon-related and not. 

The gods must have been in a good mood today because not a single yelp came from the Terrors, and in fact several times I heard them comment on how much better this was than working in my lab. Well class ended and Astrid and I began cleaning up, straightening the desks, sweeping the floors, and rearranging the equipment for the next day's lesson. A whistled a shrill note and my Terrors began dropping a few rose petals at a time around Astrid. Soon she was surrounded by a shower of petals that began settling on her shoulders and hair, one even on her nose. Then Hiccup entered and began whistling. I took that as my cue to leave, so I slipped out quickly and quietly, joining Mom and the rest of the village to watch the proposal unfold. They performed the song almost flawlessly, as Astrid had been singing to the wrong tune, but I couldn't correct it without giving anything away. But she got it eventually though. At the last line Hiccup knelt down on a knee and asked her to marry him. She was stunned, and could only nod as tears of joy flowed down her face. A cheer rang out from the crowd and the village threw a party for them. It was at this party they asked me to help them plan their wedding. I happily agreed. 

Congratulations, Hiccup and Astrid, and may you have many years of happiness together!

Possible Disaster

I think Astrid might be suspicious of us. She's been talking in very persuasive tones, but about really leading topics. For example, she said to me earlier that, "Hiccup is a great guy. Anyone would be lucky to have him." That might seem harmless, but there was something in her eyes that told me she was going to get to the bottom of it.

Making Plans for the Future

Well, Hiccup finally, finally asked Astrid's father for his permission to marry his daughter. He was hesitant at first, but eventually, and after a couple glares from me, he consented and shook my brother's hand. Hiccup's hands were shaking so bad I had to help him fly Toothless. He and I swapped dragons until his shaking stopped. Then he asked me to help him come up with a plan for proposing to Astrid. I, of course, smiled and agreed. I'd been expecting him and Astrid to get hitched for a while, so I came up with a series of plans, mostly involving play-fighting with her and suddenly Hiccup pops out of nowhere singing a song. Thing is, no song was right. Then Mom stepped in and helped us out. She suggested "For the Dancing and the Dreaming." Her and Dad's song. Hiccup and I exchanged glances, and we both nodded in agreement. The proposal is set to take place in a month, as it'll take around that long to teach her the song. Herby and I agreed with Hiccup that the Terrors could plan the sparring match, and the atmosphere. Creating romantic environment is a hobby for them, but they're great at it. The rose petals falling down gently, the right lighting, the soft scent of rose water lightly misted in the air, and a garland of flowers (dragon safe, obviously) to adorn the head of the girl. When Hiccup heard our plan, he smiled nervously, then opened his arms for a group hug from the Terrors, Mom, and I. I can't wait to have Astrid as a sister-in-law.

An Unexpected Development

Today, not surprisingly, my Terrors were yelping at the Academy. What is surprising, is who was causing the yelps. To my shock, and indeed everyone who was watching's, it was actually Fishlegs, who was distracted by the fact that Ruffnut was next to Snotlout. He felt bad afterwards, but I was almost too stunned to continue the lesson. If it hadn't been for the fact that it was from the least expected person, I would have lashed out and ripped him a new one. I think it scared him too, because when the cry came from Herby's mouth, he jumped a few feet in the air and pulled his hands in to his shoulders and curled his fingers, a horrified and surprised look on his face. When I told Hiccup, he shook his head disbelievingly. He confirmed it with both Herby and Fishlegs, who was nearly inconsolable over his actions. My Terrors, Hiccup, Mom, Astrid and I assured him that it was an accident, and if he wanted, I could set up separators between each student. He said that would probably be a smart idea.
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Snotlout made a snide comment today. "How come you're teaching us? You've never even gone here to learn!" I rolled my eyes.
"Because, unlike you, I was raised by dragons from the age of 10 on up," I replied. Everyone gasped in surprise. Astrid mentioned that no one knew someone before Hiccup had tried living with dragons without killing them. I glanced briefly at the ground before laughing and looking back at her. Herby flew to my shoulder from his station with Fishlegs and put a gentle hand on my cheek.
"She accidentally killed our tyrannical leader while she was in the woods when she was younger than ten summers. She was watching us as we ate some leftover food she had set out. She had no weapons and moved slowly and calmly. Then all Hell broke loose as our leader landed on her head and began attacking her. She had posed no threat to us, but he attacked. She panicked and grabbed her frying pan, freshly cleaned, and swung wildly, killing him when it hit him in the head," he explained. As if everyone wasn't already shocked! "She didn't mean to, and felt horrible for it. She began crying and by a majority-rules decision, we began to slowly try to calm her down and comfort her. After that we decided that she and she alone would lead us. I would be the go-between because I'm the oldest. And y'know what? Adopting her into our pack was easily the best decision we ever made." He licked my cheek and the Terrors in the Academy swarmed me, landing where they could and giving me a big group hug.

First Day Under New Management

Well that was fun...Not! The Terrors agreed to help with the Academy, which caused a couple of them to have potential breaks. Pelernia, Herby's daughter, has a dislocated wing from Snotlout, and a broken tail from Ruffnut twisting it to see how it worked. I scolded them both, coaxing a bit of a groan from Hiccup and Astrid. He had stopped by to check out how things were going. I gave him my poor Terror to get her out of the situation. Herby stepped in to fill her position, aiming a glare at the three whenever a yelp sounded. Fortunately, after she was removed, the glares didn't come very often, only once or twice when Snotlout lifted his arm in a funny way. He only tail-whipped someone once, Tuffnut. He had held a Terror upside down and pulled the horns to see the length from nose to tail. The mark drew blood, making everyone see that we take dragon safety very seriously.
Later Mom told me I had done very well teaching them as the Twins and Snotlout both paid full attention the whole lessons.

Surprises, Pleasant and Expected

Well, Hiccup finally stopped beating around the bush and came out with the news that Mom and I have been expecting: he wants me to take over the Academy. The reason is simple: I was practically raised by a pack of Terrors from the age of 10. I start in two days as tomorrow he will make the big announcement. I hope to have my Terrors also help me with teaching. With luck, half of them can be working in my lab while the others help me in the Academy. What's more useful than a dragon you can manipulate to see what happens? I know for a fact that Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff are all tactile learners: they can't sit still (or stop fighting) for more than two minutes! So I will see if my Terrors would be willing to help me with my latest assignment.
While the first bit of news was completely expected, he took us both completely by surprise when he told Mom and I that he was going to ask Astrid's father for his daughter's hand in marriage. Of course we congratulated him, because what else can you say to your brother when he says he's in love and planning on getting married to the girl he's been interested in for many years? If Mr. Hofferson says no, I'll see if I can convince him otherwise. Hiccup might be the chief, but he's not exactly brave when it comes to challenging someone. Drago was a unique case, and that was only because he killed our father and dragon-napped Toothless.
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Mom had a nightmare last night. I'm a light sleeper so I woke up to her speaking, seemingly to herself. I crept downstairs and saw her fighting her blankets. I waited a few moments to see if it was indeed a nightmare before I woke her up. We sat up and talked about it all night, not that it was long until daybreak. Her nightmares seem to almost mirror mine: we're back at Dad's funeral when something happens that he's not dead. Here's where ours differentiate: she dreams that Hiccup died, and I dream that Dad is stuck on the burning ship and for some reason can't jump overboard.
We jump in the water and swim out toward the ship, but can't reach it in time. She asked me not to tell Hiccup about this, so I hope he doesn't come across this blog. Her nightmares do explain her insistent and near-obsessive interest in hugging him whenever she gets the chance. I kind of envy her, as she can hug Hiccup whenever she gets scared, while I have to cozy up to Darrien, or sneak over to my treelab and wake Herby.

3 AA

It's been a year since Dad died. It's still hard to believe he's gone. Every morning, Hiccup and I wake up thinking he's just downstairs, only to be sort of disappointed to see Mom instead. Hiccup's been talking about getting someone else to run the Academy because he's so busy all the time. The way he said it makes Mom and I think he means me. I still get up at daybreak to go for a run, as per something my Terrors and I set up shortly after they moved into my underground lab.
I'll add some drawings I made of Hiccup, Herby, and Toothless curled up by the fireplace at my tree  lab when I find enough time. Gotta go hunting. Wish me luck!
-Nina

A Brief Intro (3 AA)

Hello everyone! I am Nina Haddock, adopted sister to Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, and I recently discovered a way to bring electricity to Berk. It took a bit of persuading to get them believing that Thor is not angry with us, and that I am not using his powers for evil.
A bit of information for you all before I get too far into this thing called a "blog."
AA = After Adoption.
AO = After Orphan-ing
PO = Pre-Orphan-ing
PA = Pre-Adoption
I was adopted by Chief Stoick the Vast, and his son, Hiccup. Later Stoick's wife, Valka, agreed to adopt me, and we became a family of four.