The Clue of the Missing Socks - Chapter 6

This chapter is longer then my others because I just had several things I wanted to put into this chapter.  I got caught up in my own story and was like, I guess this will just be a longer chapter.

I also did some research about viking food, livestock, and farming.  I also did some research on Polydactyl cats.  These types of cats were used a lot on ships because of the skills at getting rodents and rats on ships.  Btw, I will be having a cat or two appear in the coming chapters.

Please leave a comment below about what do you think is actually stealing the socks and objects around Berk.  Is it actually a troll, a person, or something else?

***I read back through this chapter and found a few minor mistakes, and so this is to tell you that I have corrected them.***

The Clue of the Missing Socks

Chapter 6

          “The extra what?!” Asvord exclaimed as she and Elsa came from Nora’s house.

          I replied, “The extra claw.  See.  Look at the dragon’s footprint.”  Asvord looked at it as well as Elsa.  They both said, “Wow, this is amazing.”  I then turned to Hiccup and said, “Have you ever known a dragon to have this extra claw?”

          “No, I have not.  We can go ask Fishlegs just to be sure.”

          “Ok let’s go,” Elsa said with an excited tone.

          We all were off to the Academy to find Fishlegs.  As we were walking I asked my two sisters if they found anything in Nora’s house.  Elsa said that she searched the upstairs while Asvord searched the downstairs.  They both reported that they found nothing out of the ordinary.

          “Oh wait!  I did find something out of place!” Elsa remembered.  “In Nora’s clothes basket, I noticed that almost all of her left socks were missing.”

          “Really?  Interesting,” I replied with a thoughtful tone.  “Are there actually trolls stealing people’s socks in Berk?”

          “I don’t know, maybe.  Though, what explains the disappearances of other objects around Berk?”

          Asvord then said, “This is really puzzling.”

          We then had arrived at the Academy.  We found that Fishlegs and Meatlug were the only two there.

          “Where did everyone go, Fishlegs?” Hiccup asked.

          “They are all out assisting Gobber and your dad with constructing the new catapults.  Though, the twins are probably trying not to work.”

          “Fishlegs.  I would like to introduce Jarl Moller and his two sisters, Asvord and Elsa.” Hiccup said.

          “We have come here to ask you something about dragons,” Asvord said.

          Fishlegs then said with a rather should I say proud yet slightly boastful manner, “Well you have come to the correct place.  I am the most logical person to go to with any and every question about dragons; because I have an extensive knowledge of the Book of Dragons.  I have read it many a time and have now even updated it with our training at the Academy.  Hiccup should know I am the best person you could…”

          “Fishlegs!” disrupted Hiccup.  “We know that you know a lot about dragons and we have come to ask you a question.  Do you know of any dragon now or in the past that would have one more claw then it was suppose to have, especially a Terrible Terror?”

          “An extra claw??  Why no.  I have never in my life heard of a dragon with an extra claw!”

          Just then my stomach growled at me.  Toothless kinda looked at me with a “What was that,” look.

          “I think me and my sister should be getting on home.  It is been a while since breakfast and we have not had anything to eat.”

          “Okay.  I will go show Fishlegs the scene of the robbery,” Hiccup suggested.

          “The what of the what?!” Fishlegs called out.

          “Don’t worry.  I will explain to you on our way there everything about it.  Jarl, after you are done, meat us over by the spot where the new catapults are being built,” Hiccup stated.  Both of their dragons followed behind them.

          It took about fifteen minutes to get back to our house.  My mom was in the house fixing breakfast.  She was cooking some of the salmon that I had caught the other day.  Plus, she had ready some of the corn from our garden.

          Our house is on the outskirts of Berk.  We are about ten minutes walking from our front door to the Great Hall, and about fifteen minutes to the Academy.

          “Oh great,” Asvord said with a sad voice.  Though, I did smell a hint of a sarcastic tone as well.  “More corn for the corn-king.”

          “Well, corn is my favorite vegetable,” I replied.  As we were sitting down at the table, my mom was bringing over a bowl of freshly picked apples.  “Says the girl that would have a freshly picked apple in one hand and a freshly sharpened axe in the other.”

          “Yeah… well… you like apples too,” retorted Asvord.

          “Well, we are not without a few defects,” I chuckled.

          “Okay, now eat your breakfast,” declared my mother.

          “Truce?” I offered.

          “Okay,” agreed Asvord.

          My mom had then brought over the rest of the food for the meal.  As we started to eat, Mom asked us about how our morning had gone.  Asvord, Elsa, and I all relayed what had happen about the robbery and the discovery.

          “What a lively morning you three have had.  I wonder what the rest of your day will have to offer,” voiced my mother. “About the extra claw, this reminds me about something about your father.  When we first got married, he would tell me about the stories of cats with extra toes.  These cats were found on many ships to help control the rodent and rat problems.  Cats with the extra toe could catch rodents a lot faster.”

          “How interesting,” Elsa said.

          “Your father also said that while he sailed around the ocean, he saw several ships that these ‘Polydactyl Cats’ were great hunters as well as companions,” added my mother.  “Polydactyl means ‘many fingers or toes’.  But I never heard about a dragon with an extra claw.”

          As we were finishing up our meal, we continued to talk about the robbery and the polydactyl cats.  I told my mother about meeting Hiccup at the site of the building of the new catapults.

          “Well stay safe.  Be back here around sunset.”

          “Okay mother, we will,” I replied.

          Before we set out for the site of the new catapults, we helped clean off the table and put the dishes away.

          We arrived at the site in about a half hour.  There were sounds of sawing, hammering, and a lot of orders being given.

          “Hey Hiccup,” I greeted.  “I see that the catapults are coming along.”

          Hiccup waved and then said when my sisters and I came over, “Yeah, it would probably go slightly faster if the twins could just concentrate.”

          After Hiccup said that the twins could be seen trying to mess with Snotlout.  When Snotlout would carry a section of wood from the supply pile to one of the catapults, the twins with the assistance of their dragon would pick up the section that Snotlout had just taken over and then set it back in the supply pile.

          “I see what you mean,” I concurred.

          Just then Snotlout had figured out what was happening and told the twins, “Oh is that how you want to play it.  When you mess with a great warrior like me, you get the thunder!”

          Nothing happened.

          “I said, ‘You get the thunder’!”  Snotlout said under his breath to his dragon, “Hookfang that is your cue!”

          “Looks like the ‘Great Warrior’ can’t even make a good threat,” Tuffnut chuckled.

          “Okay, that is it!” said Snotlout.

          “Guys!  Guys, could we please concentrate on the task at hand.”

          Ruffnut was about to say something when she was interrupted by another viking shouting.

          “Stoick!  Four Outcast ships spotted!”

Here is a link to the next chapter:  http://forum.schoolofdragons.com/content/clue-missing-socks-chapter-7