Chapter Text
The map of Berk
This is Berk, an island located in the Meridian of Misery, seven days north of Aria and twelve days west from Thulor. It’s chaotic, and the people are always moving. In other words, Berk never sleeps. The island was founded nine generations ago, but throughout the years, a lot has changed. For instance, the new architecture, the different generations filled with unique and ever changing vikings and most importantly the pets. You see, where most places have horses and parrots, we have dragons. It wasn’t always that way. Before our generation, the dragons were seen as pests by us and many other tribes, contrary to our loving view on them now. They stole our food, burned our houses down, and simply made the hard viking life even harder. Thank Rao that changed. A life without our pet dragons is almost unimaginable.
My name is Kara Danvers. I was not born on Berk, but it is my home. When I was seven-years-old, my biological family died in a fire on El, my former home. Before the fire, my family and I lived there, secluded from the rest of the tribes. It was peaceful and quiet. Unlike the rest of the tribes, we lived alongside the dragons and learned their ways. However, the fire turned my whole life upside down.
I was roughly awoken by the screams of fire and the roaring of dragons. The fire had already covered half of my room. I didn’t even want to know what that had meant for my parents’ room. I still remember jumping out of the bed and screaming into the nothingness, my words lost in the crackling fire that consumed everything it touched. The more I screamed the more smoke filled my lungs. The world was burning me from the outside and the inside.
I barely had time to react before a creature bit into my arm and dragged me through the hole it had gouged in the outer wall of the house. It dragged me into the cold air of the night that felt like life and death at the same time. The frantic voices of my parents screaming my name were carried away in the night breeze before they were silenced. Before I even had the time to recollect myself, I was lifted into the air, two strong claws penetrating my fragile and burned skin.
I truly did want to resist, scream, or do anything, but the fire had taken all of my power away. I dangled lifelessly in the air, looking at the same image that was forever scorched in my mind; my home being burned to the ground and my whole family and youth burning along with it. The only thing left from what was once the proud El family was me and the amulet that hung heavy around my neck.
I closed my eyes, just for a second, but when I awoke, the sun was slowly erasing the remains of the night. The birds sang away the screams that had been torturing my mind. And the nothingness of the air beneath my body was replaced by steady ground. Even the creature that had saved me was now gone. It had left me at the doorstep of an unfamiliar house.
The family that lived in the house was the Danvers family. And even though they did not know me, did not know where I came from or know why I was, they took me in.
The Danvers were kind people. They were the medics of Berk. Their job was to heal and care, and that’s what they did for me too. They gave me a new home, a new place to be happy again. It wasn’t that easy in the beginning. See, the Danvers had a daughter, not much older than me, Alex. She, well let’s just say, she wasn’t very fond of me. We struggled to get along for a while, but after some good old Berk bonding (that’s what they call fighting here) we got along nicely. Throughout the years, we got closer, and she felt more like a sister to me than anyone ever could, although she can still be very stubborn and annoying (and don’t forget overprotective but that seems to be a common Danvers trait).
My adoptive parents’ dragons fit right into that Danvers stereotype. Eliza’s dragon, Bikke, was a Crimson Coregutter. However threatening they may look, they were quite the opposite. His heart was as big as his size, and believe me that’s big. Even though Bikke had a hard time physically fitting into our home, he has never damaged anything, well, if we forget about Jeremiah’s foot two winters ago...
Jeremiah’s dragon, Grein, was a bit smaller than Bikke, but with both dragons being in the Boulder class, they don’t leave much space for us to live. See, Grein was a Shovelhelm, and just like the Crimson Coregutter, he was a gentle presence in the household. However, the dragon manual didn’t mention the smell that came along with the Boulder class’ dragons. No matter how many times Alex and I tried washing them , they would always stink as much as before, if not more.
The two gentle giants lived in peaceful harmony, that is until that dynamic was disrupted by a new family member, Skull Crusher, a Triple Stryker and Alex’s dragon. It was not often that a Triple Stryker bonded with a woman or any viking for that matter. The Strykers were, as you probably already know, incredibly defensive and picky. For their bond, they picked only the strongest and fiercest vikings. Most of the time, that viking was a male.
However, the fact that a Triple Stryker chose Alex wasn’t even that surprising. Alex was strong, fierce, stubborn and so much more. The real surprise came when Skull Crusher finally came to live with us. Turns out Skull Crusher was the biggest softy ever. He loved hugs and scratches under the chin. And although he may act all tough and fierce, just like Alex, he was a true cinnamon roll on the inside. And you know what they say about dragons and their humans: they were a lot alike in many ways.
“Auch what was that for?”
“Don’t tell them that! I am tough, not a cinnamon roll!”
“Sure… Oef! What was that for?”
“Change it! Now!”
“Okay, okay, stop punching me!”
Alex is the toughest and fiercest viking of all of Berk.
“All the five tribes you mean?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. Auch! Stop hitting me!”
“Just move on with the story, Kara.”
Now ten annoyingly long winters later, I still haven’t found my dragon. Well, that’s what the people on Berk say. I have found my dragon. I found him the day I lost my family. His name is Balder, and he is the dragon that saved me from the fire. When I was younger, I thought a lot about the dragon that saved me. The older I got the more curious I became. So when J’onn (my former boss and Berk’s dragon trainer) dragged me along on dragon searches, I always kept an eye open for him, my saviour.
It took days of hiking all around Berk and it’s forest, cliffs and hills. Some days, I didn’t know if I did this for him or for myself, to escape the village that didn’t understand me. Alex had told me it was useless, but I knew that he must have been there. It was this indescribable gut feeling that kept me confident that one day I would find him. Later on, I found out that was what the people on Berk called ‘the bond’.
Eventually, I did find him. It took some getting lost, rolling down hills and a five feet drop, but I found him. At first he was a bit skittish where I was curious, but the more time I spent with him the stronger our bond became. We became inseparable. It was as if he understood me in ways that no one else could. Like he felt my pain, my loss. He helped me heal, grow into the person I am today. It was as if I had found the piece of me I was missing all this time. We are a lot alike… personality wise then of course, since he is, well, you know, a dragon.
Just like me, he is a bit different than the rest of the inhabitants of Berk. Balder is what people on Berk call a Formskifter, a dragon so rare that he is only known through myths. No one knows what he looks like, what he sounds like, and what he can do. This made him all the more dangerous. Around campfires, people would tell stories of the Formskifter being the most frightening dragon ever to exist, one that brings destruction with them everywhere they go. Some parents even told their children to eat their vegetables, or the Formskifter might get them.
A Formskifter hadn’t been seen for ages. Some rumors suggest that they were extinct. Some assumed that the high-pitched calling heard only in the strongest of storms belonged to the Formskifter. Others assumed that it was just the wind howling and the mind playing tricks on them.
The legend that suggested that the screams belong to the last Formskifter said it may be the last of its kind. Therefore, that legend was popular in many tribes. For example Thulor, the dragon hunting tribe. The Luthor family, the chiefs of Thulor, hold an ‘honorable’ collection of dragons. Because of the legends about Balder’s kind, he is high on the ‘must capture’ list of the Luthors. However, they are not the only tribe that is curious about Balder’s breed.
That is why Balder must stay out of the public eye. The day he saved me from the fire, he risked his own exposure, and since he is truly the last of his kind, it is important that such an occurrence never takes place again. So once I had found Balder wandering in the forests, I spent most of my spare time with him but always out of sight. Naturally, Alex found out. She made me swear that no one could ever know of Balder’s existence for my and Balders’ sake.
As long as I kept him hidden and didn't draw too much attention to myself, everything would be alright. Alex promised me that once we came of age, we could travel together, so that one day Balder and I won’t be bound to secrecy anymore.
And everything went according to plan... until it didn’t. The island got more crowded, and the Berkians were expanding their villages. Soon enough, they would find Balder’s home and everything would have been for nothing. The only way I could fully protect him was to make sure the people wouldn’t attack him, trap him, or hunt him down. The Berkian’s I could have convinced but the other tribes? That would have been near impossible.
That’s where the Tribe Tournaments comes into play. This year, I will participate in the tournament not only to win the honor and gold reserved for the champion but also to secure the safety of Balder. The tournament is organized every year, every time on a different island, and this year it’s Berk. The tournament is a sign of peace between the tribes and a way to get everyone together. It’s always held in the summer, so the boats are free to navigate, and the food is more abundant. The tourney also stimulates the exchange of food, weapons, dragons, and knowledge between the tribes.
The tournament consists of three rounds, and each test differs in difficulty. These rounds are supposed to test the bond between the dragon and its rider. What each of the rounds contain varies each year.
This year, the dragons play the biggest part in the tournament since the tension between the tribes has grown. Since the introduction of dragon riding, the opinions on training and taking care of dragons has varied between the tribes. As you know, dragons don’t respect borders, and they are not bound to human rules. This causes issues if, for example, a hatchling from Spheer ends up in Thorul and gets captured there, or an escaped dragon from Daxam gets sanctuary in Aria. Without consistent rules of a dragon's treatment, the tension between the tribes will continue to grow, since most tribes don't agree with each other on this particular subject. It has caused more than one physical fight between the tribes.
So to put an end to the tension between the tribes, the winner of this year's tournament becomes the head of the council of islands and thereby create laws regarding the treatment of dragons. Which means the champion can make it illegal to hunt them and use them as labor against their will. This seems to have stimulated the competitiveness between the tribes, each vying for this control.
For example, the tribe Aria, also known as the southern tribe. The hot headed Arian lives easily alongside the dragons. However, they do not really live together with the dragons themselves. They have zero connections to their dragons, and the relationship between the people of Aria and dragons almost seem formal. They believe that humans are not supposed to be living together with the dragons and should always be kept at an arm's length, as they are still wild creatures.
The second tribe is Daxam. The island lies to the west of Aria and is known for its misuse of dragons. For them, their dragons are more like servants, doing the work for them and nothing more than that. They feel like every tribe should treat dragons the same way as they do, otherwise, the dragon species will never truly know who is boss.
Berk is more centered to the tribes as it is surrounded by the other four tribes. We believe in treating the dragons as our equals. We live with them, we love them, and we connect with them. And to be honest, I still don’t get why the other tribes don’t see that our way is the right way.
The fourth tribe is Spheer. It’s the most easy-going tribe. They may live in the coldest islands in between snow walls, but they have the warmest personalities. However, they were never the most skilled dragon trainers since most of the dragon breeds that do live on Spheer would rather stay in hiding between the snowy pillars. This causes a divide between the dragons and Spherians. But once they truly bond with the dragons, they take on Berk methods in forms of training and lifestyle.
Last but definitely not the least is Thurol. The tribe, ruled under the iron fist of chief Lionel Luthor, has a dragon hunter status. Thurol hunts and traps dragons to later on use them for experiments and their own benefit. They don’t kill the dragons anymore like they did for generations, but they still mistreat the beings. Especially the wife of chief Lionel, Lillian Luthor, who pays good money for the rarest of dragon breeds to later on use them for experiments, for example, Balders kind.
Every year, the tribes choose their own representative. However, they have never prohibited anyone else from joining, it just isn’t that usual and goes against the traditions. So, of course, I will join without anyone knowing, well, except for Alex, of course. She always knows about everything, and she is definitely not pleased.
“Damn right, she’s not.”
“I know, Alex. I know. Now let me finish my story.”
It took me a while to convince her, but even she has to admit it’s the only option to ensure Balders safety. However, there’s still the problem of Balder being a famous dragon breed that is wanted throughout the five tribes. This is where Balder’s special abilities finally come to use. The name Formskifter already says it: shapeshifter. He can change his appearance at his own will. He can shift his horns, color, sound, and scales. The only two things he can’t change are his mass and eye colour.
For the tournament, Balder will have to shift to look like the most similar dragon he can shift to, a Light Fury or Night Fury. Unfortunately, those dragons are also real head turners. They were almost extinct a couple of decades ago. So Kara Danvers, the girl that has not yet bonded with a dragon, can not possibly have bonded with a rare dragon breed so suddenly.
So Alex and I concluded that not only Balder must change his appearance, but so should I. This leads to me wearing this badass armor, helmet and all.
“You look like a dork, Kara.”
“Shut up.”
So I signed up for the Tournament under the alias ‘Supergirl’, a nickname my biological mother had given me when I was younger. My chest plate bears the sigil of the Tribe of El, the tribe my parents had started for our family but never truly came to be. And with the helmet too, no one will recognize me. A perfect plan, right?
“Don’t you dare say anything, Alex.”
“I wasn’t!”
Now let’s kick some dragon butt and win this thing!