It was almost the end of the day when we first saw signs of life. Dragons were swarming in large flocks on the nearby islands. The Vikings and dragons seemed pretty separated though. Is Berk any different? Will our dragons be safe there? This was all very different to me. Seeing islands where dragons and Viking didn't really mix was quite contradictory. But nevertheless, even from way up in the sky, I could hear thunderous laughter and cheers from the different tribes echoing all around me. Where I lived, it was never this happy. It was much brighter in the Archipelago, too. Obviously, not everywhere outside the barbaric Archipelago was dark - just in Donar and some other smaller islands. Donar was the wrong place to live, I guess. I hope Berk is the right home for us.

Dad said it will still be another half an hour before we reach Berk. He also said not to fly near the Berserk and Outcast islands - wherever those two are. He sure knows a lot about this place...but how? So on we flew, past dragon islands and Viking tribes, staying hidden in the mist of clouds. It felt like forever before we could make out the outline of another island. This island was different compared to the others though. If you squinted enough, you would be able to see dragons following behind the Vikings and vice versa. I was close enough to see a group of teenagers - probably about six of them - sitting on the backs of dragons. They were in a dome shaped hall or room, or whatever it was.

Near the dock, a row of boats floated on the surface of the water, rocking from side to side, imitating the pattern of the low tide. The silhouette of a Zippleback dashed across the wall of the watch tower, as the sunset orange rays of the sun began to sink under the horizon. The sky was a brilliant shade of reddish orange, with strokes of pink and green here and there. The clouds overlapped each other as they transformed into images in the sky. I saw a cloud that looked like a boot, then it changed into a sword and lastly a...dragon. The cloud dispersed into the air, leaving a thin trail of vapour in its place. The roars of Deadly Nadders, Gronckles, Monstrous Nightmares and Hideous Zipplebacks dominated the village and I could smell the whiff or burnt wood coming from the heart of a forest. The sound of metal scraping against metal filled my ears, while I was slightly cringing from the louder CRINKs! that echoed everywhere. We had arrived at our new home.

In silence, my family and I landed on the beach and got off our dragons. We were trotting up the sandy hill when we heard a voice behind us, and we turned around. It was a man with a long, braided, dirty blonde moustache and a thick monobrow. He had a hook with a hammer for a hand and a peg for a leg. The other two limbs remained attached to his body. His chin was large and stubbly, and his ears were small but round. He was bulky and probably quite strong. The man wore a small Viking helmet with long horns, a thin short sleeved shirt, a sleeveless fur coat, a brown striped pair of trousers and a single boot. "Hey," he called out, panting heavily after his chase for us, "you don't look like you're from Berk. The chief didn't tell me he was expecting any visitors today. Do you have any business with Stoick the Vast? And you have dragons...hmmm."

My parents looked at each other before answering his question.
"Oh, haven't you heard? We've just moved here. We sent a letter out to the chief. Would you be able to take us to him please? I'm sure he would want to meet us before we can officially live in this village." Dad replied smoothly. The man hesitated before replying, "Uh, okay. Just follow me." So we did.

We followed him into the village, our dragons walking beside us. With one hand, I clutched onto Skyglider's saddle anxiously. And with the other, I held Halvor's small clammy hand. I could tell he was nervous too. Runa walked behind Halvor and I, keeping her eyes focused on the ground ahead. She stroked Stealthwing's neck. My sister wasn't only comforting her dragon, but herself too. Our parents were at the front and were having a conversation with the man, as Firequencher and Whirlbreath strode along either side of them. I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. Around us, the Berkians stopped and stared. All eyes were on us. I wouldn't blame them though - I'd do the same if it were the other way around.

Near a row of huts, there was a small group of four children around my age. Two girls and two boys, who were looking at me. No one else. Just me. I looked back at them, but only for a few seconds. I saw that there were four dragons playing around near them but I didn't want to seem like I was staring, so I sped nearer to my family. As we walked past the houses, I turned my head and tried to avoid all the eyes. It was as if they were boring into my brain. Controlling my mind. This thought shot up in my head, sending brightly coloured warning signals to my body, telling me to turn the other way and run. Run as far as I possibly could. My heart was beating erratically. And then the feeling was gone. All the fear flooded out of me as I saw them giving warm smiles to us, and continuing with their daily life as if nothing ever happened. I heaved a loud sigh of relief, my heart returning to its regular pace. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe Berk wasn't a bad place to be. Maybe, just maybe, this village was destined to be our 'home sweet home'.

We turned right at a narrow path and continued walking a little further. We stopped behind a large man who had just finished talking to a middle aged woman. "Chief," said the Berkian who was leading us. "the new Vikings have come. They're here to see you." The chief turned around to face us. He was quite tall and very burly. He had a large, dark red moustache and beard that was braided at the bottom. His head was fairly small but his body was heavily built, with brawny muscles. He wore a small helmet with horns that stretched out horizontally and flicked up at the end. Attached to his shoulder plates was a long fur cape. Wrapped around the chieftain's waist was a belt with an image of a dragon, clinging onto his shirt. He wore thick boots and wristbands on both his arms.
"Hello, I'm Stoick the Vast. But you can call me Stoick." He shook my parents' hands. "Thank you, Gobber. You may go now." he said to the man with the blonde moustache, ushering him off. Stoick turned to my parents again. "And you are?"

Mum and Dad looked at each other again. "I'm Canute Adderling and this is my wife, Perla Adderling. These are our children: Runa, Misty and Halvor." he replied, gesturing us to come forward. He shook our hands and smiled before leading us to our new house.
"I hope you enjoy living in Berk and don't worry, you'll get used to living here very soon. Keeping the dragons as pets was an enormous change for us three years ago. I see you've got your own dragons too. Well, you must be very tired from your journey so I'll let you all rest." Stoick opened the front door of the hut. "It's not much but it's home enough. I will see you all in the morning." Before he turned around, I saw him frown in confusion and then his expression changed into a smile. Runa and I watched him leave, closing the door after he was out of sight.

This is it. A new house. A new village. A new island. A new life.

A/N In the next chapter, it will be written as Stoick's POV. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Bye JDTs and DTs!!!
~Mahirah03