The Dragon Master

Part 5~Ocean

'So Viggo, what business do you do?' Kaito tilted his head, running his fingers over Toothless's head.

'It might be easier to show you.' Viggo held out a hand, pulling Kaito to his feet. He walked forward, leading Kaito further down the ship. Toothless grumbled, walking a step behind them. 'For as long as I can remember, my family have all pathed the way for our industry. Your Dragon- your Toothless- is one of a kind. Most dragons are not like him.'

Kaito glanced back at Toothless, who let out a sad sound.

'Most dragons are mere beasts. Like yaks and sheep- I assume you know what they are.' Viggo glanced back, smiling, when he swore Kaito's nod of agreement. 'Well, we dragon tra-farmers raise dragons like the farmers, you know, raise yaks and sheep. From the time they are eggs to the time they are fully formed, and when the time is right, we will kill and harvest every part of them.'

'We have a rule about never wasting the parts. Skin will be made into clothes. The meat will be eaten at feasts and help our young grow. Bones become weapons and instruments. Everything is used, and nothing gets wasted. We trade what we cannot use to get things we cannot get ourselves, like the metal and plants we cannot grow on our ships.'

Kaito smiled, hopping next to Viggo. 'So, you're a cattle merchant!'

'Yes, that is one way of putting it. Do you want to meet our herd?'

Kaito nodded excitedly as Viggo opened the gates. 'We are very proud of our herd. We have a large variety of dragons here, from Zipplebacks to Changewings. Each has its value and requires different needs.'

Kaito nodded, glancing through the bars and staring at the Scauldron. The dragon lifted its head, scowling as Kaito tilted his head. 'Its skin is drying out. Won't that lower its quality?'

'Yes, it does. However, if we give it more water, then it will attack.'

'I thought you said you raised them from eggs?'

'Yes. For most but a lot, we hunt and gather from the wild. Scauldrons particularly as getting them to be domesticated enough to begin that cycle is near impossible.'

'You know, if you had an island with a cove, you could raise the Scauldrons there and get them used to people. It'll keep their quality up, and being in a naturalist setting might make them calmer.' Kaito beamed at his idea as Viggo hummed. 'Plus, that way, you don't have to constantly track down new ones.'

'That might work.' Viggo's grin widened. 'I think I have a job for you.'

'Really?'

'Yes. Come on.' Viggo waved for Kaito to follow him, his grin widening.

~~~

Flying down, Kaito smiled. 'I've found the perfect spot!' Kaito slid off Toothless's back, grabbing a piece of paper. 'It's this island in the far reaches of this cluster. The various hills and tunnels beneath and the island curl around. If we build a dam across here, we can raise the water dragons there and use the dam as a dock to keep boats and make trades.'

Viggo grinned. 'Yes, you've done an excellent job, Kaito. I'm very proud of you.' Viggo ruffled Kaito's hair, smirking at his brother, who scoffed, knowing he had lost this fight. Kaito was to stay.

~~~

Soaring over the pens, Kaito grinned. The dragons lined the island's pits and tunnels they dug to keep them safe and contained. The new shipment of hides and acids was being shipped out. Kaito loves the island. After years of perfecting, this place was amazing.

Glancing to the side, his mood brightened. The boat was here! Toothless dipped down, landing on the dock. Kaito slid off the saddle, greeting the baby Scauldrons, who cooed from the water.